


Pickle Route

by Pochapal



Series: Beyond the Archive [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Cults, Death, Depression, Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse, Dystopia, F/F, Fascism, Grief/Mourning, Nonbinary Character, Police Brutality, Post-Epilogues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Revolution, The Homestuck Epilogues: Candy, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, War, discussion of sexual violence, gender transition, political corruption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:15:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 82,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24455038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pochapal/pseuds/Pochapal
Summary: It's a long journey to a reality that holds all that matters, and Vriska Serket is starting to grow tired of marinating in total narrative irrelevance.Post-Candy. A story about how a regime falls, how a hostile narrative is survived, and how the existentially unimportant may be the most valuable of all.Act 2 of Beyond the Archive. Can be read as a standalone.
Relationships: Aradia Megido & Vriska Serket, Harry Anderson Egbert & Tavros Crocker, Harry Anderson Egbert/Vriska Lalonde, John Egbert/Roxy Lalonde, June Egbert/Roxy Lalonde, Meenah Peixes/Karkat Vantas, Original Character/Original Character, Tavros Crocker/Vriska Lalonde, Terezi Pyrope/Vriska Serket
Series: Beyond the Archive [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781830
Comments: 21
Kudos: 39





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are with act 2 of my post-epilogues Homestuck fanfic series, Beyond The Archive: Pickle Route! 
> 
> Some quick things to go over before we start: this is technically a sequel to Omelette Route, but you don't need to read Omelette Route to fully understand this fic. The two fics comprise a kind of post-epilogue - like with the Epilogues proper, you can read in any order, but reading one will help you understand the other and vice versa. If this fic is your starting point, I do encourage you to read Omelette Route as well, though.
> 
> Another thing: this fic, as with the rest of the series, will not be Homestuck^2 compliant, and may even be in direct contradiction to Homestuck^2 at some points. The only things lifted from HS^2 will be updated character names such as Vrissy and Harry for consistency's sake. Other characters, concepts, and events unique to Homestuck^2 will likely not feature in Pickle Route at all. Sorry to Yiffy.
> 
> One final point: please heed the rating and content warnings. This fic will be an unflinching examination of the dark and brutal themes of the Candy epilogue, and will cover more upsetting and potentially triggering content than Omelette Route did. Nothing will exceed what was already presented in the Epilogues themselves, however, but do expect heavier subject matter than Omelette Route. I feel this is important to make absolutely clear given that this is an M-rated followup to a T-rated fic. Individual chapters with specific upsetting themes that aren't outlined in the tags will have their own warnings at the start. Please take care of yourself when reading.
> 
> Other than that, please enjoy this fic!

\-- arachnidsGrip [AG] began pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC] --  
AG: Hey, again.  
AG: I still don't know if you're a8le to read these, or if you're even still alive, 8ut...  
AG: I thought I might upd8 you on the current situ8tion.

The ship's halfway through a particularly turbulent sector of the fanonsphere when the kids collectively decide to celebrate Vrissy's seventeenth birthday. They scuttle through the myriad rooms on this sterile vessel, scrounging and begging the other passengers for scraps of grist so they can use the alchemiter to decorate the main common room with a naïve kind of gleeful abandon, a rare sentiment among an otherwise solemn and cynical crew.

Vriska Serket sits in her private room, staring out of the window as all the infinity of a singularity passes her by. She leans her head against the glass and exhales as the sound of scuttling, pristine sneakers squeaking against the polished floor rushes past her door. They've been on this voyage for sixth months now, and while she's endured longer and worse, she's never felt so uniquely displaced as she does on this vessel from a world she doesn't belong to bound for a universe she doesn't know.

Every glint of light, every speck of matter that she can see contains a whole universe, a whole iteration of the reality she was once so familiar with. Any one of them can and will contain what she truly yearns for, but as the Muse is wont to remind all of them far too often, none of those pockets are what they seek. None of them are important enough. Every bubble in this metaspace remains as ephemeral and worthless as the one they all departed from.

She often watches the pocket narratives float by and wonders if the version of herself in there is truly getting what she wants. Sometimes she wishes nothing but misfortune on that hypothetical less relevant bitch. It comes and go in cycles, such is the nature of long, stagnant voyages. After so much time, so much hurt, she'd never imagined it'd be the stillness that would get to her.

AG: We've officially passed the three-month mark. Nothing much has actually ch8nged on this ship.  
AG: The Muse remains stoically cryptic, and the kids are a little too 8right-eyed for me.  
AG: Hell, even Aradia sucks to hang out with now.  
AG: And don't even get me STARTED on Dave8ot. Seriously, it's the worst!  
AG: My choices are either have kiddy funtimes dashed with 8asic-ass teen drama or get on 8oard with 8eing all solemn and shit a8out some mission that still hasn't 8een properly expl8ned to me.

Vriska leans over and clicks the power switch of the fan on her nightstand. She closes her eyes, letting the recycled air wash over her skin. It helps her to actually feel something in this go-nowhere purgatory.

AG: There are all these cool as fuck altern8 universes right outside our window, 8ut we're not allowed to go out and visit a single one. It fucking 8lows.

At least during her first interstellar voyage, they had cool distractions in the form of fully-immersive dream bubbles every night, or a group of peers on the same emotional wavelength, or fuck, even an untamed clown to sometimes bully within an inch of his life when things got really dire. Here, there is the camp of the young and innocent, or the camp of the wise and cryptic, all within the same uninspired grey walls, constant and unchanging in their dormancy. Vriska's never felt more like an outsider than she does now. She's never felt so far from home.

AG: The wild antifa shit was cool as fuck even if it was stupid, at least.  
AG: Now everything's just soooooooo 8oring! XXXX(  
AG: Seriously, how the hell did you manage to float around in the furthest ring for however the fuck long without literally collapsing of ennui?  
AG: I guess it's 8ecause you had your own purpose for doing it, huh.  
AG: i miss you [message saved as draft]

Vriska pulls away from the window and lies back on her unmade bed. She stares up at the ceiling, trying and failing to breathe her way through the heavy knot on her chest. Her fingers drum against the cold metal frame of the cot, doing a poor job of maintaining an eight count. Sometimes the repetitive motion soothes her. Today is not one of those days.

It's one of those days where it takes all her strength not to just bury herself under the sheets and wail and sob herself unconscious, to scream and throw things and tear the entire ship apart. One of those days where the end goal feels so far, so impossible, so completely a reward for another Vriska from another time and place. She's completely alone, and that's maybe the worst feeling she's ever felt in her entire life.

VRISKA: *sniff*  
VRISKA: Fuck this.

She's not sure when she started crying, exactly. Somewhere between that last volley of messages and the reinforced reminder of her loneliness wrapping into her skull with all the finesse of a claw hammer. For the last few years, she's coasted by entirely on stimulation and excitement keeping her from slowing down and looking at the gaping hole eating her from the inside out.

Well, now everything's stopped in an abrupt lurch, and the only thing left for Vriska to look at is herself. All the baggage and pain that's piled up since she was just thirteen, and even earlier than that. Because of course it would take a slow-going space journey to fucking nowhere to get her to stop running from her issues.

There's another trill of hyper giggles that bounces past her door. Vrissy and the other kids, no doubt ferrying whatever over the top bullshit they decided's relevant for this celebration from the alchemiter to the common room. Some days, Vriska feels a weird fondness for her plucky descendant, and other days, she hates the girl's guts for having everything Vriska was ever deprived of handed to her on a butler's fucking platter. It was bound to happen, given the nature of the two women who raised her, but it doesn't make the poison that swells up inside any easier for Vriska to swallow.

(HARRY: hey, vris! you dropped the banner!)  
(VRISSY: 8luh!! You Try carrying all This Shit on your Own.)  
(VRISSY: A Little Help, May8e????????)

Sometimes, Vriska could happily murder the little brats, and she hates herself a little more every time she thinks that.

Harry suddenly lets out a high yelp intercut with Vrissy's cackles, so similar yet so different to Vriska's own. The laugh of a girl who grew up in a different world, who grew up as a different person. It quickly fades off, absorbed into the unfeeling reinforced walls of a vessel designed for decades-long intercosmic travel. It's amazing just how resilient those kids are. They're out there planning a party in the most miserable place in all reality, and Vriska's sitting here moping. God, when did she get so lame?

VRISKA: Am I... getting old????????

She murmurs it to herself, voice low enough to blend in with the fan's hum. She knows that nowhere near as much time passed following the fight with Lord English for her than everyone else, but it's not like that final journey through the furthest ring was a quick one. That shit took at least nearly a sweep's worth of dilated time that would happen then unhappen again and again the closer they all drew to the collapse. Like, fuck, factoring it all in she maybe has two years tops on these kids, but the gap feels so much more pronounced.

VRISKA: Nah. This whole situ8tion just fucking sucks.

How much longer does she have to be stuck like this? The Muse, or whatever the fuck the entity inhabiting dead Jade's body wants to call herself, implied it wouldn't be forever, but she didn't even give as much as a minimum estimate. They could reach their destination tomorrow. It could take three years. Five. Ten. Who knows what time means for an immortal undead cherub? By the end of it, these kids might be older than the parents they left behind. She hates the fact that this is literally the only option so fucking much.

There's a knock on her door. Vriska straightens up and wipes the tears from her face.

VRISKA: Yeah?

She's still a little emotional, so she forgets to pitch her voice up properly. Not that that matters to anyone but her.

DAVEBOT: its me  
VRISKA: Dave?  
DAVEBOT: davebot now but you know this already  
DAVEBOT: im coming in

Vriska doesn't get much room to argue. There's a whirring noise and the electronic lock is overridden. The robot chassis containing Dave's soul flashsteps into the room, hands at his hips. The eyes glow a harsh red behind a pair of battered up shades.

VRISKA: What do you want.  
DAVEBOT: yeah sorry to interrupt your daily emotional breakdown or whatever  
VRISKA: I wasn't  
DAVEBOT: dude my hearing is so good im literally picking up every soundwave on board  
DAVEBOT: if i strained could probs listen in on the narratives were flying past  
VRISKA: And it's not dude, 8ut you should know that already, too.  
DAVEBOT: shit yeah sorry my bad there  
VRISKA: Anyway, let me reiter8.  
VRISKA: What the fuck do you want.  
DAVEBOT: oh right yeah

Davebot turns his head to face out of the window. Unlike the last Time player in a robot body Vriska saw, this one is utterly devoid of emotional cues, stiff face with a mouth that refuses to ever not be in a perfectly thin line. Permanently, mechanically stoic. Strider repression brought to the next level. To be honest it kind of completely fucking unnerves her.

DAVEBOT: lil vrissy sent me  
DAVEBOT: wants to know why youre avoiding her and also can you please come to her epic birthday party  
VRISKA: ...I'm not avoiding her.  
DAVEBOT: vriska youve been crammed in your room for literally four days  
VRISKA: See! It's more of a... general avoidance!  
DAVEBOT: ok whatever if that makes you feel better about yourself then lets call it that

He looks at her. His red eyes glow through his shades, giving away nothing, but Vriska can't help but feel immensely judged. It's the knowing look of a weary adult seeing someone go jump through the same unhealthy hoops that they once did. Vriska cringes on the inside at the mere insinuation that she'd have any kind of common ground with Dave Strider of all people.

VRISKA: Anyway, why would I even want to go to some l8me wriggler's party? There are so many more important things going on inside this ship!  
DAVEBOT: literally what  
DAVEBOT: you can go hear the muse repeat the same cryptic bullshit for the fiftieth time if you want  
DAVEBOT: or you can hear aradia recite what little lore she knows herself  


Davebot shrugs. 

DAVEBOT: idk i think a wild teen rager wins out by default  
VRISKA: Have I ever made it clear that everything a8out this journey fucking sucks?  
DAVEBOT: yeah i think you made that one pretty clear already

Vriska lets out a sigh and stands to her feet.

VRISKA: Okay, whatever. I'll go hang out in the kiddy 8allpit to kill a couple hours.  
VRISKA: Tell Vrissy I'm sorry I didn't get her a present. On Alternia, the mere fact of 8eing alive to see another sweep was a gift all in itself.  
DAVEBOT: ok boomer  
VRISKA: W  
VRISKA: What did you just call me???????

But Davebot's already flashstepping out of her room and down the hallway.

VRISKA: What the fuck ever.

Vriska snatches up her phone, shoves her hands in her pockets, and with a perfected slouch, shuffles her way in the vague direction of the sound of celebration. Outside, they pass precariously close to another black hole pocket fanon. The ship rattles around like a cheap piece of shit as it pushes out of its orbital pull. It's hardly a special occurrence, save for the fact that Vriska's found herself thinking about what lies beneath those vast horizons more and more.

Vrissy's party is set up in the common room two decks down. Vriska makes her way there with little fanfare; she just passes through those identical featureless hallways until she reaches something less monotonous. The common room itself has the same walls and flooring as the rest of the ship, but at least there's some decent furniture in here. Vrissy sits sprawled across one of the plush couches in the middle of the room, while Harry and Tav struggle to fix a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY VRISSY!!!!!!!!” banner from the ceiling. It's all disgustingly cute as shit. Vriska is not jealous.

She makes her way to the middle of the room, waving a hand in greeting.

VRISKA: Hey, I'm here.

Vrissy perks her head up, raising an eyebrow.

VRISSY: Vriska! Good to see you're still not in your Depressed Slump.

Vriska smiles in response, all teeth and little else.

VRISKA: Haha, yeah! Only complete fucking losers would 8e like that!  
VRISSY: Word.

Vrissy returns her attention to her phone, thumbs flying across the screen as she presumably plays some kind of game or is possibly attempting to update a now-non-existent Instagram page. Vriska can't tell. The kid can be pretty damn inscrutable at times.

Vriska takes another step towards the couch.

VRISKA: So, you know  
VRISSY: If this is you apologising for Not getting me any kind of 8irthday Gift? Whatever. I'm 8asically Over It.  
VRISSY: Not that it really Matters, given that we Literally can't 8uy Anything.  
VRISSY: Also, you don't actually Give A Shit, 8ut I appreci8 you pretending to Care. ::::)  
VRISKA: Well. Glad we cleared that one up from the start.  
VRISSY: Me too. Nice to know even after everything we still share a W8velength.

Vriska gives out a soft laugh, more a harsh release of air from her nose than anything else. But it's enough for Vrissy to crack a small smile, and enough to look like Vriska's getting along just fine, more importantly.

TAV: H,, hey, be careful,,, harry,  
HARRY: tav, chill. i've totally got this.

Above, Harry climbs to the top rung of the stepladder he and Tav share, standing on the edge of his tiptoes. He sticks his tongue out in concentration as he reaches up to straighten a corner of the banner. Tav covers his eyes with his hands.

HARRY: almost... almost...  
TAV: Oh, cripes,,,  
HARRY: hhhh....  
HARRY: oh fuck

Harry leans forward another inch. There's a moment where he kind of tilts and sways like a teenager-sized blade of grass, then the momentum carries him forward too far. He flops right the fuck off the ladder, crashing to the floor with an undignified squeal and limbs flailing like he's trying to take flight. He lands on his back with an unhealthy thud, staring up dazedly at the ceiling.

Tav looks away, seemingly recoiling into himself. The banner sways in the air, half finished. Vrissy begins to howl with laughter before snapping a pic of the whole sordid scene.

VRISSY: Yep, That One's going in my Cringe Compil8tion.  
HARRY: ughhhhh  
TAV: Um, harry, are you,, are you harmed,, in any kind of significant manner,

Harry raises his head, then flops back down, gone to the world. That's gonna hurt whenever he comes around. Tav shakes his head.

TAV: Evidently so, then,  
TAV: I suppose, that leaves it up to me, to get the preparations for this little soiree, to attain a state of completion,

Taking a deep breath, Tav slowly climbs to the top of his side of the ladder. He reaches out, and with alarmingly steady precision, fixes the banner up to the appropriate corner, leaving it to hang pretty damn immaculately in the air. Tiny beads of sweat lining his face, Tav lets out that same breath, then methodically descends the ladder.

TAV: Well, there we go, at last,

Vriska blinks, looking on in awe at the fact that somehow the kid named after Tavros of all people is somehow the most competent one of the bunch. It hurts her head to think about it too much, like a sly and whimsical little the joke the universe keeps pulling on her. God she misses when things were normal and made sense according to her fundamental understanding of reality.

ARADIA: they sure are a wild bunch arent they? :)

Vriska turns around to see Aradia Megido hovering a few feet behind her. She's still in the same god tier robes she wore when Vriska left her behind on that meteor all those sweeps and universes ago. She looks like she hasn't changed at all since that day. She also looks like she's aged a million sweeps since then. It's hard to tell if the agelessness is an extension of her Time powers, or if Aradia is really just like that.

VRISKA: Oh, hey, Aradia.  
ARADIA: hi vriska :) how are you doing?

At least her smile hasn't changed, that sage glee at the ugly turbulence of reality. Deep down, there's still the person that Vriska knows, somewhere.

VRISKA: I see you're talkative today, Megido.  
ARADIA: well theres only so long you can take listening to the muse repeat the same two cryptic mission statements  
ARADIA: im all for valuing individual expression but sheesh can she sometimes be boring!

Aradia pouts her lips with a playful glint to her eye. This entire time she's been pretty much bound to the Muse's side, attentively listening to the spirit inside Jade Harley's corpse as she pilots them between realities. Very rare are the moments where Aradia decides to stretch her legs and interact with other people in any kind of normal way, not that it would be apropos to call Aradia normal by any stretch of the imagination.

ARADIA: seriously its been three weeks now since shes said anything new  
ARADIA: the only thing she says is that its not yet the right stage to divulge more knowledge  
ARADIA: and if im really lucky i might get a repeat of one of her sermons on canonicity and the prince but even those are getting fewer and further between  
ARADIA: honestly sometimes shes more obtuse than a sgrub consort!  
VRISKA: Sucks to suck.  
VRISKA: Seriously, what do you see in her that makes you dedic8 all your time to her?

Aradia gives a light little laugh. For one moment she's looking at Vriska with eyes that are old and weary beyond measure, then she bounces back into her trademark glee.

ARADIA: i always said i wanted to see what happened when everything broke apart, and the muse is the one responsible for letting me see that  
ARADIA: i suppose im just repaying the favour i guess :)

She smiles, but it's not as sincere as the smile she gives when she espouses the beauty of entropy. There's something else there, something that pings a shiver of uncertainty at the base of Vriska's skull. Aradia's spent more time alone with the Muse than anyone else, and now, like most times, Vriska gets the sense there's something she's not being told.

VRISKA: Well, there's worse reasons to join forces with an ominous cosmic guide. At least there was a choice this time!  
ARADIA: haha true  
ARADIA: its also partly due to the fact that id rather not spend the rest of eternity in a textually safe pocket reality  
ARADIA: that would honestly be completely boring  
VRISKA: What a8out after, though? Like, once the Muse finishes up with everything, where do you go from there?  
ARADIA: hm

She pauses, looking away. Her face is perfectly schooled.

ARADIA: well i suppose id hop onto the next cosmic calamity  
ARADIA: ive been at this too long to settle down and ive totally missed the boat on establishing a place i can call home for myself!

She laughs after that, like it's not the saddest and most uncomfortable thing Vriska's ever heard in her life.

VRISKA: Gee, Aradia. Well,  
VRISKA: I hope ch8sing reality to its total heat death or whatever the fuck it is m8kes you happy.  
ARADIA: oh it does :)  
ARADIA: anyway

Aradia floats up in the air, doing a little flip. Dust from her fairy wings sprinkles down and leaves a small coating on the floor. It's perhaps the first splash of colour this ship's ever seen.

ARADIA: thats enough about me and my adventures  
ARADIA: what about you!  
VRISKA: Me?

Aradia smiles again, poking a finger against Vriska's shoulder. Vriska flinches back from the unwanted touch, a little.

ARADIA: yes you!!  
ARADIA: i checked out of that timeline way before you even showed up there so... im curious!  
VRISKA: A8out what?  
ARADIA: about what went down in the end there! the muse deigned the whole thing too unimportant to observe past the point where lord englishs body arrived  
ARADIA: i spent a good couple decades watching it all unfold so itd be a shame for me to never get closure on how that story turned out  
VRISKA: You really want to know?

Vriska raises an eyebrow. Outside, the ship scrapes by another pocket narrative. Down here, the turbulence doesn't hit so bad.

VRISKA: Why do you want to know now, though? You've had a good few months to get filled in.  
ARADIA: never seemed like the right time i suppose  
VRISKA: And now does?  
ARADIA: yes  
VRISKA: 8ut why? Nothing's ch8nged since that first day we all hopped onto this ship!  
ARADIA: has it not?

She says that last bit weirdly, in a little quiet voice. Even still, the words seem to echo and bounce across the length of the ship, until Vriska is acutely aware of a feeling of being watched. She bites the inside of her cheek to stop herself from looking behind her like a paranoid weirdo.

Aradia laughs again, a little too loudly.

ARADIA: come on vriska please! its been so long since ive heard a good story  
ARADIA: do it for your old friend :D

Her wide grin brokers no argument. Vriska glances over to the other side of the room, where the kids (plus Davebot) are setting up the rest of the party. There's a moment where she could choose to walk away, to rejoin the festivities and meld back into the plot, ride it out until she gets where she needs to go. But she's done enough of that. She's sick of marinating without a shred of agency to her name.

This is her story, too, and it's time that fact is remembered.

VRISKA: Ok, fine. You want a good story? You fucking got one.  
ARADIA: :D :D :D  
VRISKA: Let me 8egin where you left off, in an unimportant world on the 8rink of falling apart...


	2. ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: This chapter discusses sexual abuse and alcoholism

i.

Less than a hundred feet away from where Vriska and Vrissy are enjoying a spot of cloudgazing atop a wretched clown's festering corpse, a piercing howl ripples out that cuts through to the very fabric of their bone marrow. Vriska sits upright, a little perplexed.

VRISKA: Do the ghost funnels always m8ke that much noise?  
VRISSY: Huh? No, not Really. And, uh,

Vrissy looks over to the point on the horizon where a fuckoff huge funnel spins and shoots off lightning sparks made of pure matter. Her eyebrows go up.

VRISSY: The Ghosts don't tend to fall from Funnels, either.  
VRISKA: Weird. Wonder what that is.

Over the hill range behind them is the steadily-growing sound of deadly artillery fire. Before he fucked off to try and deal with his emotional problems, John warned them that they'd probably have four or so hours before this strip of countryside is overrun with fighting. Vriska estimates that conversation to have been around two hours ago. They don't have much time left.

Vrissy shifts a little, causing Gamzee's body to squelch into the dirt a little deeper. A spark of mischief dances across her eyes.

VRISSY: Hey, wanna Check It Out? Might 8e kinda Fucked Up.  
VRISKA: ...

She takes a moment to ruminate on this smelly circus water bed, listening to the sound of hundreds of humans and trolls dying and double-dying. She could stay here, wait for the fighting to come to her, and do her part to have a positive change on this meaningless narrative. She shuffles a little. Gamzee makes another repugnant noise that triggers her gag reflex. The decision was made from the start.

VRISKA: Oh fuck yes.  
VRISSY: Siiiiiiiick.

Vrissy hops to her feet, offering out a hand. Vriska takes it, Maryam-Lalonde pulling Serket back into this reality.

VRISKA: Let's get going.

Vriska takes a couple steps in the direction of the shrieking potentially dangerous hyperdeath funnel, but Vrissy remains transfixed on the spot. She's looking down at Gamzee's filthy, desecrated body with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

VRISSY: Hey, um,  
VRISSY: What should we do a8out Him?  
VRISKA: Him?

Something cold and unpleasant seeps into Vriska's bones as she sets her eyes on the vile clown's face for the first time since she planted him in the dirt. She pointedly does not think about the horrible actions he coerced her into doing. Not at all.

VRISKA: Let him rot, for all I care. That w8ster outlived any purpose he could have had dec8des ago.  
VRISSY: 8ut...  
VRISSY: He's, well, kinda a 8ig Deal, Politically speaking?  
VRISSY: You know, he was the leader of the Largest Cult on Earth C, and also The 8atterwitch's Right-Hand Kismesis.  
VRISSY: You 8asically fucking Assassinated the Second most Powerful Person on the Planet.  
VRISKA: What the fuck? Seriously? _Him_????????

Vriska shakes her head. Everything about this planet is such complete bullshit. She decides for the fifth time this hour that actually, she completely hates it here. One hand rests against her jeans pocket, where John's stolen phone sits. She waits for a buzz, but the only thing she feels is the slow throb of her myriad injuries.

VRISSY: Yeah. He's 8een the Pope of the Church of Redemption for the past fifteen years?  
VRISSY: Advoc8 for the Ghosts, a proxy for Crocker's Machin8tions.  
VRISSY: Actually, this all actually sounds 8atshit ins8ne when I try and expl8n it to Someone who doesn't have a fucking Clue a8out any of this?  
VRISKA: No, no, I sort of get it.  
VRISKA: So... he was Earth C's equivalent of the Grand High8lood?

Vrissy looks away in thought. An earth-shattering explosion rips the sound barrier asunder a few miles away. Vriska cringes as the sound rattles against her already tender eardrums.

VRISSY: If I'm remem8ering the Lore correctly, he was the mythical fuckoff Huge Clown from Alternia's history, right?  
VRISSY: Clown churches and circus-themed 8lood Sacrifices or Whatever, yeah?  
VRISKA: Long story short, close enough.  
VRISKA: 8ut damn. _Gamzee_? Jegus, this planet has no fucking standards.

Despite her hesitance, Vrissy smirks. Vriska bristles.

VRISKA: What?  
VRISSY: Sorry, did you Just Say “Jegus”?  
VRISKA: Uh, yeah?  
VRISSY: Lmao, that phrase hasn't 8een Cool for like twenty years.  
VRISSY: God, you Really Are part of My Moms' Gener8tion, huh?  
VRISKA: I... thought we esta8lished that.

Vrissy shrugs. She inches a little away from Gamzee's body.

VRISSY: Yeah, 8ut it's kinda Weird since you look like you've got Three Years max on me.  
VRISKA: Well, sorry for washing up approxim8tely ten sweeps l8ter than I should have.  
VRISSY: 8ut seriously, you Need to get 8oned up on Current Media.  
VRISSY: No Way am I hanging out with some L8me Chick, even if she's Literally a genetic copy of me?  
VRISKA: Hey! I'm the original.  
VRISSY: See? That's the kinda Shit I'm talking a8out. You gotta just roll with it, instead of 8eing so D8ted.

Vriska feels a flare of sudden anger that boils under her skin, then sharply teeters into...

VRISKA: Hahahahahahahaha, oh god.  
VRISSY: What?  
VRISKA: You just, you really are a teenager.  
VRISSY: Yeah, Duh. You sure you didn't actually Hit Your Head at any point?  
VRISKA: No, sorry, just,  
VRISKA: Just, it's 8een a kind of long day.  
VRISSY: I feel you There.

A moment of silence. Vriska kicks her shoe into the dirt, the sound drowned out by the rising cacophony of metamodern warfare.

VRISSY: Anyway what do we do A8out the Clown's 8ody.  
VRISKA: Oh, right, um...

She looks down at it. Gamzee's mouth is twisted open, bloated and bloody and missing nowhere near enough teeth. Everything about that six-feet sack of festering meat is utterly fucking repulsive.

VRISKA: You wanna just... leave him here?  
VRISSY: Huh????????

Vrissy blinks like she's heard something utterly incomprehensible.

VRISKA: Well, yeah. The war's approaching.  
VRISKA: Someone's 8ound to find his 8ody sooner or l8ter. M8ke it their pro8lem instead.  
VRISKA: I don't know a8out you, 8ut I've a8solutely had ENOUGH of this guy.  
VRISSY: Huh.

Vrissy is still unconvinced.

VRISKA: Come on, do you really wanna spend hours 8eing interrog8ted 8y the re8ellion?  
VRISSY: ...  
VRISKA: Or do you actually wanna do something that's NOT l8me as shit.

Vriska motions to the sky funnel. It's now starting to flicker a little like an old monitor.

Vrissy lets out a breath, then straightens her back.

VRISSY: You know what, Yeah, you're Right.  
VRISSY: Fuck That Guy.  
VRISKA: ::::D  
VRISSY: 8esides, if we got Caught, we'd have to deal with My Moms chewing me the fuck Out.  
VRISSY: Then we'd 8e treated like Little Kids, which would Supremely Fucking Suck.  
VRISSY: Yeah, let's go do something Cool and Interesting.  
VRISKA: Hell fucking yes.

Vrissy finally steps away from Gamzee's body, and starts to stride purposefully in the direction of something decidedly more cool and interesting. It's a nice day out, late spring, the kind where the sky is rich and blue and the smell of pollen is thick in the air. So too is the sound and smell of artillery, a sensory experience more familiar to Vriska than all this pseudo-pastoral nonsense. She starts to catch up to Vrissy, then slows again. She looks behind her shoulder at the scene of their abandoned crime. An idea sprouts in her head.

VRISKA: Hey. Hang on two seconds.  
VRISSY: What is It?  
VRISKA: Something I need to do.  
VRISSY: Yeah, sure. Just don't t8ke Too Long.

Vriska lifts a hand in a kind of 'ok' gesture and quickly scuttles back over to Gamzee's dead body. His bruised face stares up blankly, eyes glancing in different directions, broken jaw hinged open, bloated tongue rolling out and down into the dirt. It's pitiful. It's vile. He's been reduced to nothing.

Vriska pulls back one leg, and delivers a devastating kick to his fetid face, feeling a visceral thrill as the last few untouched bones crunch under her foot. She steps back and does it again and again, methodically brutalising Gamzee's remains until what's left is barely recognisable as a troll. Congealed purple blood and gobs of who the fuck knows what spatter out in a a rough circle around the scene, fortuitously missing Vriska every time. By the time she's done, he looks like he's been mangled by some ravenous wild animal.

VRISKA: Rot in agony, clown.

She's shaking when she finally walks away. Bile sloshes in her gut and tears sting her face. She clenches and unclenches her fists a few dozen times, flexing all her fingers between each motion. She doesn't look back. Whatever's behind her can't hurt her, or anyone, any more. It has completely and totally ceased to matter.

VRISSY: Holy D8mn.  
VRISKA: Fuck him. I'm done. He's done.  
VRISKA: Let's do something that's actually important.  
VRISSY: Yeah. Cool.

Vrissy tries her hardest to look unperturbed by Vriska's actions of the last ten minutes as they start their walk over to the funnel, which by now is absolutely flickering like a motherfucker. These kind of things should come with an epilepsy warning or something, damn. That said, Vriska is honestly kind of impressed by Vrissy's stoicism? The kid's seen some shit this afternoon, and all things considered she's taking it better than Vriska would have were she the one approaching the situation with that level of naivety.

At the same time that some horribly huge bomb sends a column of hellfire spiralling into the air, Vriska and Vrissy cross over the hill, leaving the day's horrors behind them.

The hill declines gradually down into a large valley marked with wildgrass, the odd tree, and not much else. Save for the funnel pointing down right towards the dead centre of this geographical bowl, and what looks like a huge hunk of rock. It's too far to make out any details, but something about it pings a rush of familiarity through Vriska's spine.

VRISSY: Well, that's Pretty Weird.  
VRISKA: Yeah.

As they make their way to the base of the valley, Vriska begins to notice something else odd, too.

VRISKA: Hey, uh.  
VRISSY: ?  
VRISKA: When did it get so quiet?

Vrissy slows to a stop, tilting her head up. When she notices it, her eyes go wide.

Here, in this valley, there is no sound of the imminent encroaching warfare. The sky above them is perfectly clear, free of smoke and debris and even clouds. The only feature marring the pure blue stretch is the funnel, flashing like a shittily-rendered webcomic gif. It's as if they've completely stepped out of the narrative affecting the rest of the world.

VRISSY: Ok, this is Really Str8nge.

Vrissy scuffles her shoes across the grass. It makes a light squeak, but the noise is almost too perfect. Vriska follows along, shoving her hands in her pockets. Something about this seems oddly familiar in a way she can't quite describe.

VRISKA: I guess let's see what's causing it, then.

It's about a mile or so before they reach the middle point of the valley. By the end of it, Vriska's wounds are screaming at her, and she feels a damp patch under her jacket where at least one injury has reopened. And by the time they get there, the funnel has all but completely dissipated save for the odd flash of lightning against a too-blank canvas. Not that that matters, because the rock sitting in the grass draws all their attention as they get nearer.

VRISKA: No way. No fucking way.  
VRISSY: Hey, is that...

The “rock” they thought they saw a mile back turns out to be more a city-sized hunk of dark stone, lined with juttings both natural and artificial. Metal pipes the size of streets stick out of one end, stained with an alternating red and yellow stain that stinks of ozone and burnt plastic. On the far side, a large staircase has been deployed to allow access to the rock's interior. Atop the rock are towers and spires the size of skyscrapers. Vrissy and Vriska stand at the base of the stairs, ants before a whale.

VRISKA: Yeah. It's........ the meteor????????  
VRISSY: Like, the one from The Lore?  
VRISKA: I think so. Yeah, this is literally that exact s8me meteor.  
VRISKA: Why the hell is it here?

As she gazes up at the meteor, Vriska feels a rush of vertigo and existential unease. The surface is cracked and lined with moss and plants and whatever else has grown in the five thousand years since its voyage, but more than that. She feels seen here in a way she hasn't since, since...

Since she gazed down at the burgeoning new-born stretch of singularity that ate everything unfortunate enough to remain in the furthest ring at the terminus point of reality. The meteor is physically in front of her on Earth C, yes, but it doesn't quite sit inside the narrative. Like a liminal weak point between two textual existences. One last tentative link to canon.

It doesn't need saying what Vriska thinks next. Pulse picking up, she turns towards Vrissy with a manic glint to her eyes.

VRISKA: Wanna check it out?  
VRISSY: Oh A8solutely.

The air is almost electric as Vriska takes her first step onto the meteor's staircase. There's enough energy to rip a universe in half, it feels like. Anything could happen.

From atop the stairs, there's a sudden loud explosion that sends the air crackling with a static charge. Vrissy winces. Vriska stares up, incredulous.

VRISKA: Okay, what the hell?  
??????: 0h fuck, PLEASE tell me this isn't m0re bullshit.

A figure floats out from the meteor, bathed in a cloud of gold light. But Vriska doesn't notice, because the voice almost sounds like...

SOLLUX: f0r the l0ve 0f g0d, why.

Sollux Captor levitates ten steps above the ground, face scrunched up like he's swallowed something sour.

VRISSY: ........  
SOLLUX: jesus hell i hate it here.  
VRISKA: ...  
VRISKA: SOLLUX?!?!?!?!

Sollux raises a hand and lets out a crackle of psionic energy that runs through both Vriska and Vrissy before feeding back into him. When he receives whatever information was in those currents, his frown deepens.

SOLLUX: fucking hell there's tw0 0f y0u.  
VRISKA:  
SOLLUX: n0 d0n't even tell me i actually d0n't care.

He brings his hands to his head and roughly massages his temples.

SOLLUX: l00k, either 0f y0u seen aradia?

ii.

GG: aaaand.... done!!  
GG: thats all the liberties in the southern quadrant primed and ready to go! :)  
GG: i await further instructions, commander vantas  
GG: (hehe) <3

Jade Harley sits perched atop the last Shitty Liberty in this stretch of jungle, legs swinging freely. Her heart is light, and her sylladex lighter. The fact that they're on the brink of a planet-wide war fucking sucks, but she's alive, healthy, and back in touch with friendships she'd thought long since dead.

From up here, she can't really see much of the war effort, given that they're several thousand miles away from the fighting, and the region of the Troll Kingdom closest to the jungle is relatively sleepy flatlands that don't produce anything that would make them a tactical target. They used to breed and farm lusii back in the day, but that was all moved underground nearly twenty years ago, now, when Crockercorp pulled the plug on autonomous troll reproduction. She has it on good authority that the creatures are safely sheltered in one of the numerous underground caverns that populate the planet, but the precise location is a heavily-guarded secret kept between only three trolls.

In a sense, she is kind of glad that she's not in a more active role in this war. Yes, she would be an extremely efficient combatant given her supreme mastery over god tier space powers, but the idea of using her divine abilities to decimate so much life makes her feel sick. She's too afraid that if she started fighting, the bullet that would take her down would hail her demise as Just. So actually, these little reconnaissance missions suit her just fine!

All things considered, things are going pretty good for her. She doesn't have much room to complain. Seriously. SO good.

Jade lets out a bitter laugh and folds her hands over her stomach, where an unpleasant knot is starting to form. Her mood always dives so quickly when she's on her own, free of any distractions from the sheer litany of unpleasant thoughts she has stuffed in there. She's been good about it in recent years, but in her youth, her temper was a violent and dangerous thing. Best for everyone that it's kept under wraps.

...Still. Jade lets out a theatrical sigh and leans back until she's hanging upside-down off the Liberty's arm. Where is her husband? It's been a good two hours now since she and Dave split off, and in their domestic life they can go weeks at a time without talking (even though they live in the same house) but this is a major mission for the rebellion! He can't just check out now of all times!

As she hangs there, her phone buzzes. In a flash of excitement, she rips it out of her pocket, only for her heart to sink a second later.

CG: GOOD JOB, HARLEY.  
CG: ONCE STRIDER'S FINISHED ON HIS END, YOU TWO CAN GET BACK TO BASE.  
GG: oh yeah sure of course!  
CG: ALSO, TELL DAVE TO ACTUALLY ANSWER HIS FUCKING TEXTS.

...

Oh. Oh no. Jade suddenly feels a rush of something very uncomfortable run through her body. Her heart elides over a couple pumps in its sequence and her mouth goes very dry.

GG: haha hes not been messaging you?  
CG: ...NO? WHY WOULD HE?

Fuck. Fuck. She clenches her free fist, unclenches it, breathes. None of it helps. None of it ever helps.

GG: just wondering because ive not heard anything from him in the last two hours!  
CG: SHIT, REALLY?

The feeling gets worse. Jade shuts her eyes and pretends like every one of her worst nightmares isn't replaying itself in her brain.

CG: OK, I JUST CHECKED THE REPORT LOGS.  
CG: STRIDER'S BEEN DARK FOR 135 MINUTES EXACTLY.  
CG: HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO HASN'T REPORTED IN. THE OTHER LIBERTY SCOUTS HAVE GIVEN THE ALL-CLEAR.  
CG: FUCK, SOMETHING MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO HIM.  
CG: I KNEW SENDING YOU TWO OUT INTO A FUCKING WARZONE WAS A BAD IDEA.

Ohhh no no no no no.

GG: haha im not worried  
GG: hes probably just run off and finally abandoned us haha!!  
CG: JADE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT  
GG: itll be fine absolutely!! :)

No this can't be. It can't be happening. Dave can't be gone. He can't have abandoned her like this. She can't be left alone again.

CG: AS YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER, I AM TELLING YOU I AM EXTREMELY FUCKING WORRIED  
CG: I HAVE THE DIRECT COORDINATES OF THE LAST LIBERTY HE MADE CONTACT WITH.  
CG: I AM GIVING YOU A DIRECT ORDER TO GO OUT THERE AND FIND HIM.  
CG: REPORT BACK IN AS SOON AS YOU FIND ANYTHING.  
CG: CLOSING COMMS NOW.  
CG: BE SAFE.

With a soft beep, the communication channel goes dead. The interface now only displays a single set of coordinates. Jade barely registers it. She barely sees the jungle around her. She's only keenly aware of the objective reality that this is it. This is Dave finally standing up and walking away from their marriage. She's not fucking stupid. She knows a strained relationship when she sees one. She just expected even Dave to have more tact than to fuck off in the middle of a top secret military mission.

As Jade glances over the coordinates and hones her Space powers on them, all she can think about is where it went wrong. Dave loved her in the beginning, right? He had to have. When Karkat left the throuple all those years ago, he could have followed suit. But he stayed with her. He married her. They've been living together longer than they haven't. So what wasn't right? Did Jade not love him enough? Did she fail that hard at being a wife? Maybe if she'd give him more attention, more space, more time, more sex, fuck maybe if she'd been a man instead—

ZAP!

One blink later and she's hovering fifty feet above Dave's last known location. The Shitty Liberty below her feet looks the same as all the Shitty Liberties she's ever seen, even though Dave's always gone on about the artistry behind the unique jpeg artifacting on each individual Liberty on that stupid fucking fifteen-year-long blog of his that she never paid enough attention to. She can see a care package/bomb nestled in the crook of the Liberty's neck, exactly where she and Dave left it.

Jade floats down, then, against her better judgement, rips the box open. Her phone immediately pings with an automated alert letting her know that the Liberty system has potentially been compromised, but she doesn't care. She rifles through the maps and documents, the rations, the captchalogue cards, not exactly sure what she's looking for. A sign, maybe. An “I'm sorry” note, maybe even some divorce papers nestled between the napalm grenades. That's the kind of stupid ironic gesture Dave would make, right?

But the bundle is as untouched as it was when it was given to Jade at HQ. The only tampering is what's been done by Jade in the last ten minutes. No evidence of Dave's presence. She feels the first thrill of genuine panic for half a second, before remembering Dave's innate capacity to travel through time, and instead snarls. That asshole! Not only has he decided to call it quits on their marriage, and Jade by extension, but he's also temporally fucked off from the war! Fuck, he is just so selfish!

Tears start to crawl down Jade's cheeks as she thinks, openly, for the first time, that maybe she's grown to hate Dave a little. She hates herself for thinking that even more. And she can't help but think, somehow, this is her fault.

She has no idea what to say to Karkat, that one of his closest friends-turned-exes-turned-friends-again has once more decided to fuck off out of their lives. She doesn't know how it'll affect Karkat, who still never got over the initial breakup all those years ago. This news could, if presented the wrong way, utterly shatter the morale of the rebellion. Jade sighs. There are bigger things at stake than her marriage.

She's just about ready to reopen the comms channel and lie to Karkat about Dave's status, when she spots something. A strange warp to the foliage, a dozen feet to the east of the statue. Like there's something deliberately concealed under their noses. Jade glances down at it, then calculates where Dave's position would have been exactly upon priming this Liberty, and comes to a rudimentary conclusion founded on curiosity and desperation more than anything else.

Jade begins to float toward the anomaly, sending a rush of Space powers ahead of her to try and get a sense of whatever's there. It's big, that's for sure, some vast winding complex buried into the earth. A clandestine brooding cavern? The coveted lusus shelter? What dissuades Jade from that argument is that she feels no signs of life on the top few layers. She has no idea what she's looking at, but has the terribly grim feeling this is exactly where she needs to go.

She touches down on a patch of underbrush that is maybe far too verdant for this time of year. She could just phase through into this structure, but she has more wits about her than that. Reaching into her sylladex to withdraw her assault rifle, Jade takes tentative steps towards what she assume is the entrance, so enshrouded in thick vines.

JADE: hello? dave? you there?

She brushes away some of the vines in front of her, revealing a large wall of white marble. The molecules feel ancient to touch, but all things considered, the place has held up remarkably well. Far too well, if this is an old Earth B ruin like she suspects.

Using her space energy to teleport away a few more vines (they seem to have grown in really thick here, almost like this place is trying to keep her out), Jade eventually carves her way into the structure's entrance. There's a huge wide doorway blowing out cool, stale air. But more notably, the ornate wooden doors are hanging wide open. This is when Jade begins to feel afraid.

JADE: anyone?

She steps through the threshold, clicking on her torch. Cobwebs and conspicuous cracks line the wall of this large, looming corridor, but curiously enough, she spots no bugs. Nothing. It's like she's stepping into a slumbering, hostile tomb. Just to reassure herself that she can, Jade picks up a scrap of rubble from the floor, and teleports it out into the jungle.

It goes like this for a while, Jade slowly moving through this labyrinthine mass of mildewy, carpeted hallways. No light, no air, save for that which Jade brings with her. After the third layer of descent, Jade starts to get the sinking feeling that there's something wrong with the dimensions in here.

But she keeps going, driven on by a force even she can't explain. Hallway. Turn. Descend. Hallway. Turn. Descend. Faded red carpet that crumbles like plaster under her boots. Walls with cracks like outstretched fingers. Shadows that linger too deep. Eyes pinned on her from somewhere unseen.

When her light dies after the sixth level, Jade starts to panic a little. Everything about this place is wrong beyond anything else on the planet, maybe anything she's ever encountered in her life. She can't help but feel like she's willingly marching into the maw of some unfathomable creature so much bigger and more unknowable than her insignificant little life. She is going to die down here. Or maybe she's already dead.

She carries on in pitch darkness, struggling to hear anything more than her feet on the ground, her breath in her ears, and her heart in her throat. But this is where she's meant to be. There's something she needs to see in here. She prays it's something good.

JADE: dave...  
JADE: i just want to say sorry

Time and space start to lose their meaning a little while before she starts speaking to herself. She has no clue how long she's been down here for, how much ground she's covered. Talking helps her feel grounded.

JADE: i know ive been a pretty terrible wife to you  
JADE: and its led to some pretty nasty vibes between us over the years  
JADE: ive hurt you and i know i should have done better  
JADE: but i still love you so much :(

She starts to cry, alone and afraid in this incorrect place, and all she can think of is her shitty fucking husband, the man she ruined her own life over, and that's when the building shifts again.

All at once there's a door in front of her, more technologically advanced than anything else she's seen so far. It wouldn't look out of place on one of the rebellion airships, or her Grandpa's old labs in a time and place long forgotten. For whatever reason, this door is where she needs to go.

Taking one more deep breath, Jade steps forward. The automatic door slides open before her, and she steps through into this concealed, forbidden room.

What catches her attention right away is that it's even darker than the hallway. No matter how much she blinks, her enhanced eyes can't pick up anything. And it's hot in here. Very hot. Jade starts sweating almost immediately as she takes tentative steps into the unknown. The place smells like a cross between an active robotics workshop and the after burn of a transportalizer.

JADE: hello?

She takes another step, and nearly trips on something large and soft in the middle of the room. As she rebalances herself, she flicks out her Space senses. It's about the size of a large dog, but she doesn't sense any signs of life. Or death, for that matter. The temperature is so high in here it's impossible to distinguish between living and dead matter. Jade wipes her brow.

Suddenly, from behind her, there's the sound of scuttling feet, scattered paper, and... mechanical whirring? Gulping her heart back down where it belongs, Jade spins around.

JADE: whos there?

There's a click, and the lights are on. Jade winces, but in the millisecond between blinks, she thinks she catches a blurry figure zipping off to one side.

She reopens her eyes. The figure is not there. She looks to each side, eyes sliding over all the weird shit in this room. She looks above. She looks down at her feet.

JADE: dave?

And then she sees it.

iii.

Roxy folds her hands over her lap and looks out of the living room window as the clock ticks out deep punctuation marks into the silence. It's a pleasant afternoon, bright and warm without being too overbearing, and she can see birds flitting across their expertly-maintained lawn. John and Harry have been out on their heart-to-heart drive for nearly an hour, the most contact her ex-husband has had with his family for close to a decade. Everything is going well, and she desperately prays that it stays as such with every inch of her being, but she still feels like something's horribly wrong.

Maybe it's the kind of day she's had. Maybe it's the rapidly-escalating political situation. Maybe it's the deep-rooted sense that people like her aren't allowed good things in their life. That all of Earth C's gods are condemned to a lonely and cruel fate. That Jane's nosedive past the moral event horizon isn't an isolated anomaly. Maybe over the eternity that they're all doomed to live, each one will have their turn at the helm of vile cruelty.

Roxy split from Jane, albeit not publicly, a year or so ago. She never had any kind of face-to-face interaction, just left a voice message, packed her and Harry Anderson's belongings, barged past Gamzee's unpleasant figure, and departed the Crocker estate for their old house in the city. Jane eventually replied with a curt but disinterested note of disappointment, but Roxy gets the sense that over the years, Jane has moved on to bigger and better things. Harry had nothing much to say about leaving either; it's no secret to her how much he hated it there, and how many times he snuck out to meet his supposedly secret girlfriend (and how many times Roxy's had to use her Void powers to black out the security systems in order to aid his great escapes). In fact, the only thing that Roxy regrets about her departure is being unable to do anything to help poor Tavros, but at the end of the day, her own family must come first.

Well, that, and something else. But this is a day for looking to the future, not ruminating on what now feel like utterly ancient mistakes. Roxy lets out a sigh.

ROXY: damn girl when did u get so maudlin

She laughs to herself, standing up. All these heavy talks have definitely put her in her feelings more than she'd like. God, she hasn't been this emotional in years. Even as she thinks that, she still starts to cry a little. All those years, all those possibilities, and this life is where she ends up. It's a nice life, one she's lucky to live, but she can't help but ruminate on all those little moments over the years where maybe things could have turned out better. Maybe if she'd had more of a backbone, she could've had those necessary talks with John, with Jane, with—

Roxy stops herself. If she keeps going like this she will have some kind of episode. And she doesn't know how much longer it'll be until John and Harry come back. She can't have them seeing her like this. She's always had to be the rock in this family, the shoulder to cry on, even at her most checked out. It wouldn't be fair for her to change things at such a late stage.

So instead she walks across to the large mirror hanging on the living room wall and looks herself in the face. She's aged a little over the decades. There are a few barely-noticeable but still present grey streaks in her hair and laugh lines that stretch past the corners of her eyes even when her expression is smoothed out. The other Earth C gods (it feels wrong calling them her friends now, not after everything) don't seem to have aged in the same way; she could chalk it up to people like Jane and Jake having the money and clout to fix that kind of thing, but even John, once you get past his costume of masculine musculature and facial hair, is as fresh-faced as he was at age twenty-three, on that day where all this started. Roxy figures that ageing is more of a deliberate identity choice now, and that if she wanted to she could wipe away the years with a thought. But a large part of her doesn't. These years, with all their highs and lows, happened, and she feels like it would be wrong not to wear that on her face. It's the only signifier that she's changed at all.

That, and it would be kind of absolutely wrong to look about as young as her own teenage son. Maybe when he's older, and they're in a world when she can afford to indulge that little bit of vanity, but even still—

She doesn't cry again, but she comes close. Her son's mortality is one of those things she was forced to make peace with as best she could when he was still too young to be affected by anything she said. Instead, she lightly claps herself across the face, shaking her head.

ROXY: cmon get it together  
ROXY: ur stronger than this

Roxy reaches into her sylladex, pulling out her makeup kit. She wipes the tear-stained mess off of her face first, slowly and methodically. She tries not to think about the weirdness of the whole ritual. That her personhood is somehow tied to her ability to wear a mask of powders and chemicals. How the more put-together she looks, the better and worse she feels.

The fact is, she still thinks about, like, gender, and hasn't really stopped. What does it mean for this instance of her, so entrenched in this rigidly gendered existence? Being a wife and a mother in a well-off suburb carries with it certain expectations of womanhood that she needs to meet, or eventually meet. It's a costume she keeps wearing. Maybe at first she did it because she liked it, liked the grounded by-the-numbers identity it gave her, but she can't say when it stopped being that. Somewhere in the collapse of her marriage, probably.

She moves onto her lipstick, applying it with a definitely straight hand. Her marriage. Another one of those check marks in this little checkbox life she carved out for herself, if such a pre-packaged life can be called “carved out”. Wife. Husband. Ex-husband. Son. It's not just her trapped in these moulds. John and Harry, too, must surely feel the pull in their own way. In those moments when she looks back over it all, she wonders if that contributed to John's eventual flight from his own family. Suburbia can be comforting, but oh so stifling. A happy ending that stops being happy without an opt-out button.

All these feelings are there, but Roxy isn't sure what to do with them. Not that she doesn't think they're valid, or that she's too old to consider this kind of stuff, but that she genuinely doesn't know. The questions are there, kind of, but she can't even begin to fathom what form those answers would take. She lets out a half-shuddering breath as she fixes her eyeliner. If there's anyone who could help her understand her own feelings on this matter, it'd be—

Roxy presses down too hard, leaving a thick black streak that connects from her eyelid to her cheekbone. No. Not at all. In another life, maybe. Where they're both different people, where different things happened or didn't happen. But not in this life, this reality. The bridge is so burned it's nothing more than a mound of ash scattered around and paved over, buried under a freshly-built Crockercorp shopping mall. The bridge has been straight-up gentrified to oblivion.

She wipes her eye clean, and starts again. This time, there are no mistakes. She tilts her head a couple times, checking how she looks from various angles, then smooths her hair back out. With each motion, she gets the distinct feeling she's getting the ritual wrong, throwing out the motions in the wrong order, more like a machine replicating a direct command in a weird spiral of existential mimesis. Does Jane feel like this, when she readies herself? Does Rose? Kanaya? Or is Roxy the only woman floundering about in an ill-fitting woman suit? She feels so alone.

Not that it matters. Roxy made her choices, and this is the reality she's in. A placid fence-sitter with a broken family living in a world on the eve of the greatest civil conflict she's ever seen, which is a whole other thing she doesn't want to think about. She knows she's failed the troll cause time and time again, that Rose and Kanaya haven't spoken to her in years, that she's been so in Jane's pocket that Dave and Jade didn't dare invite her to their wedding. All she has left now is Harry Anderson, and maybe, if the universe smiles on her, John.

She's spent more time thinking about John than she'd like to admit, particularly in the days leading up to this confrontation. About where they go from here. She's still more than a little attracted to him, still loves him dearly, but is she in love with him? Does she want to start a life with John Egbert again? Harry's old enough at this point to be unaffected either way, but what does she want? What is it that Roxy Lalonde wants for herself?

Like always, she can never say. Self-assertion is so hard, and so painful. The very nature of existing means someone, somewhere will be upset as a result of your actions. And Roxy doesn't want to have any kind of net impact, and yet she fears that decision is the most selfish of all. It feels like picking the least shitty option from a rapidly-shrinking list of equally shitty—

Her phone starts to buzz, rattling on the shelf in front of hear. She grabs it just before it knocks over a framed photograph of Harry Anderson's middle school graduation. With one hand she nudges the picture back in place, and with the other she picks up the phone. She doesn't check the caller ID. She quickly realises she should have.

ROXY: yello?  
CALLIOPE: hello, roxy.

Her breath is sucked out of her body. She goes very still.

ROXY: callie  
CALLIOPE: i know. i know.  
CALLIOPE: there's a lot we need to discUss, bUt that can come later.  
CALLIOPE: right now, i need yoUr help.  
CALLIOPE: it's Urgent.

iv.

Eight hundred and twelve casualties. Three hundred rebels. Five hundred and twelve Crocker militia personnel. The first battle of many in this war is an objective success, but as Kanaya Maryam counts the dead on the lower deck of their airborne command base, working by the light of her own skin, it feels impossibly hard to see it as so.

She's no stranger to widespread death and violence. She was born a non-cloistered jadeblood on Alternia and grew up inside a cosmic video game that forced her to pay for every reward and boon with blood. But here, on their supposed paradise planet, it hits harder. These people never asked for any of this. This kind of atrocity was never meant to happen.

And it's only the start. With every passing day that Crocker refuses the path of basic dignity, it will only worsen. It's easy to get whipped up into a vengeance driven frenzy, to bay for blood until there's none left to bleed. Kanaya feels the call on an almost daily basis. That's why she comes down here. To ground her. To remind her of the cost of all this. This war may be necessary, yes, but it's a cruel and terrible necessity.

The fact that Kanaya must remind herself of what this war truly looks like is why Karkat Vantas is on the ground leading the reclamation of one of the Troll Kingdom's border cities, and why Kanaya remains vigil to the deceased. In years past, she'd always imagined she'd be the composed and collected leader of a social movement, with Karkat as her well-meaning but heated subordinate. Then she grew up. She supposes, she thinks bitterly, the difference is that Karkat has nothing to lose. Kanaya has so much to lose, so much this war could take from her.

All she needs to do is imagine what Crocker's forces would do to Vrissy were they to find her, and that's enough motivation for her to start snapping necks. One of Kanaya's monickers may be the Mother To All Trollkind, but she's less the maternal icon from the mythos, and more an Alternian ursine lusus defending its charge from a highblood invasion. Her love language is fangs and feral growls. She never was one for diplomacy.

Kanaya moves over to the next covered corpse. Judging by the dimensions, this one's an indigoblood troll. She grips the edge of the sheet and closes her eyes, focusing until she can almost feel every last molecule in her mind's eye. It's a leftover undeveloped salient skill from Sgrub she's never really shared with anyone, something that until now was a mildly interesting party trick at best. She breathes out. Three bullet wounds; two to the torso, one between the horns. The second torso wound was inflicted post-mortem. All three have exit wounds. Nothing particularly gruesome.

Still, Kanaya can't help but shake her head sadly when she pulls back the sheet to catalogue the body. The body belongs to a young woman who can't be any older than ten sweeps. She's dressed in the standard military apparel, but Kanaya finds a pendant of her zodiac sign attached to her dog tags. The ancestral sigil of the Traveler, if Kanaya's memory serves her well. She clasps the pendant in her hands and mouths an old Alternian prayer.

KANAYA: May Your Extant Soul Reach The Domain Of Your Ancestors  
KANAYA: And May Your Memory Guide All Those Who Live On Beneath Your Sigil

She waves a hand to seal up the young woman's wounds and preserve her body long enough for the proper funerary rites to be made, then places the sheet back over her. She writes down her identification number in the logbook of the deceased, then moves on to the next body. There's still over a hundred bodies to properly identify and send home before the next phase of the war, and Kanaya prefers to do this humbling work alone.

She adjusts her headscarf and crouches down to tend to the next body, when she senses the door to this room slide open. She spins around and slowly stands, a quietly warm expression washing over her face. She knows who this is. There's only ever one person who'd dare disturb her in the midst of her work.

ROSE: My darling wife, you missed dinner.

Rose Lalonde walks carefully among the rows of the dead, so beautiful and so alive. There's a half-smile on her face, playful yet reverent, that immediately brightens the room.

KANAYA: Rose I Am Of The Undead I Do Not Actually Need To Eat To Survive  
ROSE: I wasn't talking about the food.

Kanaya begins to walk, too, meeting her wife halfway across the morgue. Once they come together, she pulls Rose in for a tender yet firm kiss that neither is in a rush to break away from. When they finish, Rose wraps her arms around Kanaya's neck and sighs.

ROSE: Honestly, all those military officials can get so _macabre_.  
ROSE: It's an injustice every time you leave me to dine alone with these people.  
KANAYA: Oh So It Was A Literal Meal You Were Talking About Just Now  
ROSE: Of course. What else could I possibly be on about?  
KANAYA: I Have Not A Clue Do Enlighten Me Please

Rose cocks an eyebrow in an attempt to be sultry, but she's still the one who blushes first. Kanaya's lips twitch. Even after all these years, the gambit always lands in her favour.

ROSE: Kanaya, we are soldiers in a war. This is no time for levity.  
KANAYA: Mm Hm

Still smiling like a lovestruck fool, Rose kisses her on the cheek.

ROSE: Anyway. How are you doing?  
KANAYA: All Things Considered Pretty Fine  
KANAYA: Still Working Through The Deceased  
KANAYA: It Is Terribly Sobering But A Good Reminder Of What It Is Were Doing

Kanaya lets out a breath, and closes her eyes. When she reopens them, Rose is the only thing she sees.

KANAYA: What About You Dear  
ROSE: The scouting mission went off without a hitch, as you can probably tell.  
ROSE: Vrissy did remarkably well for her first time in the field, too.  
KANAYA: Did She

There's a moment of silence. Both Rose and Kanaya have their feelings towards their daughter's almost fanatical obsession with becoming a war hero. But neither of them can rein her in, and in the world she's growing up in, letting her fight may be the kindest thing to do. It doesn't stop Kanaya from pining for those quiet and warm days when Vrissy was still a wriggler, and reality hadn't yet bared its fangs.

ROSE: I saw John, too.  
KANAYA: Did You  
KANAYA: I Wasnt Aware Hed Joined The Cause  
ROSE: He hasn't. He was just out there.  
ROSE: I think he was having an extended moment that just happened to coincide with our operation?  
KANAYA: What About Now  
ROSE: I don't know. I lost track of him somewhere in the fighting.  
ROSE: He probably went back home, knowing him.  
KANAYA: So He Remains A Disappointment As Ever  
ROSE: So he does.

This time, it's Rose's turn to exhale sadly. The fact that John remains the only one of her oldest friends not to stand in solidarity with the revolution is an utterly agonising sticking point. Kanaya quietly resents John a little for having the privilege to spend his days moping as far away from the tumult as possible, and she has her own reservation towards Rose's continual misplaced belief in him, but she keeps quiet. This whole thing is much bigger than any interpersonal grievances she may carry.

They start to walk towards the door. Kanaya takes a moment to gather her thoughts before resuming the conversation.

KANAYA: What Is The Final Verdict On The Battle  
ROSE: We've reclaimed the city. Crocker forces remain active, but they're on the back foot.  
ROSE: We're hoping one of the prisoners'll divulge information on the location of the cake mills in this region.  
ROSE: Plans are currently being drawn on how to best advance through the Kingdom.  
KANAYA: And Karkat?  
ROSE: Commander Vantas remains on the ground, leading an elite task force to liberate the municipal alchemiter.  
ROSE: It'll be a huge boon for our resources moving forward, provided our psionics can overrule the DRM locks.  
KANAYA: Why We Ever Let Jane Copyright The Concept Of Alchemy In Our Youth Is Beyond Me  
ROSE: We can lament past failings all we want, Kanaya. What's done is done.

Rose swipes her ID to the door scanner, and the two step out into the hallway. The walls are thinner out here, so Kanaya can hear the constant hum of the airship's engine. It puts her in mind of the rattling of the meteor that ferried her between universes so very long ago.

They pass by one of the technicians working with the wiring, a stocky ceruleanblood with a shaved head and a cracked horn. He waves a tattooed arm in greeting. The sight of his bright blue eyes reminds Kanaya rather sharply of something more imperative.

KANAYA: And How Is Vrissy Now  
ROSE: Oh?

Rose blinks, like she'd forgotten all about her for a good few moments.

KANAYA: Our Daughter  
KANAYA: How Is She Holding Up After The Battle

They board the elevator at the end of the hallway, riding up to their personal cabin. Rose takes far too long to give an answer.

ROSE: Well, she...  
ROSE: I don't... actually know?

Kanaya goes cold. She tries to ignore it.

KANAYA: And What Pray Tell Does That Mean  
ROSE: I mean...  
ROSE: I kind of lost track of her, somewhere in all the fighting.  
ROSE: I... I haven't seen her since our shuttle landed.  
KANAYA: ...  
KANAYA: ...  
KANAYA: ...

Kanaya is cool and composed. A graceful god working quietly and calmly towards her own personal liberation, respected for her dignity and her poise.

She is none of those things as an animalistic snarl tears from her throat and she spins towards her wife fast enough that she strains a muscle in her neck.

KANAYA: YOU WHAT?!?!?!  
KANAYA: ROSE WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVENT SEEN HER!  
KANAYA: SHE IS OUR DAUGHTER AND WE ARE IN AN ACTIVE WARZONE!  
ROSE: I... I'm sorry! :(  
KANAYA: SORRY? ROSE SHE COULD BE DEAD!  
KANAYA: HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE!!!

The elevator clicks open and the argument drifts out into the residential quarters. The few workers and soldiers milling about quickly make themselves scarce as Rose and Kanaya heatedly make their way to their room.

ROSE: I... I don't know!  
ROSE: There was so much happening, and I've never had to consider her like this before, and...  
KANAYA: So You Just Forgot About Her!  
KANAYA: Rose I Cannot Believe You!  
KANAYA: I Knew Taking Her On A Mission Was A Bad Idea!  
ROSE: Hey, I didn't want her out there, either!  
ROSE: You could have had her work with you, but no, tending to the dead is your little solitary moment of reprieve!  
ROSE: I tried my hardest, Kanaya!  
KANAYA: I Do Not Have The Time To Tell You How Wrong You Are  
KANAYA: Right Now Finding Our Daughter Is All I Care About  
KANAYA: Have You Tried Contacting Her?  
ROSE: Um  
KANAYA: Aagh! Fuck! You Are Completely Useless!

Kanaya storms ahead of Rose and charges into their room. Her phone is charging on the stand beside their bed. Kanaya rips it out of the socket without pausing for breath.

As she unlocks her phone, Rose stumbles into the room after her, wide-eyed and sheepish.

ROSE: I... I don't know what happened!  
ROSE: It's like... like her relevance suddenly tanked so hard she became undetectable to my Sight!  
ROSE: Believe me, I wouldn't neglect our own daughter like that!  
KANAYA: I Dont Think There Is Any Excuse For This Rose I Am Sorry  
KANAYA: I Still Love You Dearly But You Need To Do Better  
KANAYA: Im Going To Try And Call Her Now

Kanaya rapidly scrolls through her phone's menus until she reaches her daughter's contact number. She hits the call button and the phone rings out... rings out... rings out... then goes to voicemail.

VRISSY: Mom, I Know this is you.  
VRISSY: So Just Say whatever Fussy shit you have to say, and I'll get 8ack to You L8ter.  
*beep!*

She tries again. And again. And again. And again. The same result, that same beep, Vrissy's same insolent message, rings out over and over.

KANAYA: No No No No No!

Across the room, Kanaya sees Rose's face fall. Kanaya's own hands start to shake. A million terrible scenarios dance behind her eyelids.

ROSE: Should I raise the alert?

Kanaya nods furiously, so blind with fury and panic she's on the verge of tears.

KANAYA: Ill Try To Reach Karkat  
KANAYA: Maybe  
KANAYA: Maybe She Snuck Off To Join What She Sees As The More Important People  
KANAYA: Or

As she talks, her phone buzzes with a new text message. Kanaya stops talking immediately and glances down.

VRISSY: I heard you the First Time. No need to keep 8lowing Up my phone!!!!!!!!

ROSE: Is that...?  
KANAYA: Its Her  
ROSE: Oh thank _fuck_.

Rose visibly deflates, leaning back against the wall. Tears start to pool in her eyes. The visible relief and concern on her wife's face assuages Kanaya's anger, but not by much. Just enough for her to get by.

Kanaya shakes her head and texts back.

KANAYA: Vrissy Dear Where The Hell Are You  
KANAYA: You Cannot Just Walk Out In The Middle Of A Battlefield  
KANAYA: Your Mother And I Are Worried Sick  
VRISSY: Ugh, sorry, I guess.  
KANAYA: Where Are You  
KANAYA: Are You Hurt  
VRISSY: Yes, I'm Fine!  
VRISSY: And I'm  
VRISSY: Somewhere I can't really Expl8n, 8ut I'm safe!  
KANAYA: Darling That Is Not Reassuring In The Slightest  
KANAYA: Are You Alone  
VRISSY: No, I'm with  
VRISSY: A Friend.  
KANAYA: That Is Really Not Assuring To Hear  
VRISSY: Look, it's kinda Hard to Expl8n.  
VRISSY: You wouldn't 8elieve me even If I Told You.  
KANAYA: Try Me  
VRISSY: Fine! I'm with my Alt-Self on a Fuckoff Huge Vessel that disregards A Few of the laws of physics and Also Might 8e the meteor you all Grew Up On.  
KANAYA: What  
VRISSY: Anyway, it's all Cool and Exciting. Way more Interesting than Karkat's Re8ellion, no offense!  
VRISSY: I gotta go. Things are Happening.  
VRISSY: Vriska says Hi By The Way!  
KANAYA: Wh  
KANAYA: Vriska  
VRISSY: So yeah. I'll 8e away for a While, 8ut don't worry. I'm Completely S8fe!!!!!!!!  
KANAYA: No Were Not Done Talking  
VRISSY: Catch Up With You L8ter! ::::)

Vrissy's icon goes offline. Kanaya spends an inordinately long amount of time staring at a perfectly blank spot on the wall, so dumbfounded that she doesn't really react when Rose puts a hand on her shoulder.

ROSE: What did our daughter have to say for herself?  
KANAYA: I Think

She lets out a shuddering groan.

KANAYA: I Think We Have Once Again Invited Bullshit Of The Highest Calibre Into Our Lives

v.

JOHN: so, how've you been, son?

Harry Anderson Egbert leans his head against the window of his dad's car as they pass through downtown NuSeattle. Neon billboards with the faces of Jane Crocker, Jake Crocker, and Gamzee Makara pollute the skyline like festering zits. From everywhere in the city, the Crocker Needle is visible, brandishing an absurdly massive clock whose only purpose is to count down to the precise instant that curfew is enforced tonight. The baroness is feeling generous today, it seems. They have until nine pm.

Harry would normally be thrilled with such a premium, save for two very major mitigating factors. The first is that his girlfriend, whom he'd normally slip out to visit, is currently on the other side of the country with the rebellion, and the second is that he's stuck having the world's most uncomfortable heart-to-heart with his old man.

HARRY: yeah, good, i guess. school's alright.  
HARRY: me and vris are doing ok, too.  
JOHN: ha ha, that's a relief to hear, harry anderson.  
HARRY: ...  
HARRY: you know, you can just call me harry. everyone else does.  
HARRY: it's kinda weird hearing you use my full name all the time like that.  
JOHN: oh, um. sorry, son.  
HARRY: it's cool.  
JOHN: ...  
HARRY: ...

John's grip is tight as he turns the car onto the city's inner circuit lane. It used to be a public transit lane, but Crockercorp defunded most public services a good ten years ago. Harry barely remembers what a bus looks like. At least Earth C has a booming automobile industry, which is really apparent given that they pretty quickly get stuck in a slow-moving rush hour lane. The city's infrastructure is basically built from the ground up to force these kind of traffic jams. Makes it easier for the monitoring drones to properly scan everyone. Even though they've stopped still, John doesn't relinquish his hold on the steering wheel.

HARRY: so, uh  
HARRY: how have you been, dad?  
JOHN: oh, you know, ok.  
JOHN: moved back into my old house. had some time to clear my head.  
JOHN: realised i've sucked pretty hard at living my life, ha ha.  
HARRY: uh huh.

John laughs, but he looks tired. Not in the old people way, because Harry's pretty sure his dad stopped ageing at, like, thirty, but there's a weariness to his eyes. John glances out of the window as an airship floats by, scratching at his stubble.

HARRY: you ditched the mustache?

His dad starts, almost looking a little guilty at that one.

JOHN: well, yeah. i think looking back it was kind of a stupid fashion choice?  
HARRY: it was pretty cringe, yeah.  
JOHN: nice to see you approve. i'm a new man, heh. or something.  
HARRY: at least you look like your own person, and not like a cheap imitation of jake crocker.  
JOHN: ouch.  
HARRY: just calling it like i see it.

Harry feels the first pull of a smile, but it doesn't quite manifest. There's still too much unsaid sitting between them, in this endless artificial traffic jam.

JOHN: nice to know you won't make your old man's mistakes, at least.  
HARRY: yeah.  
HARRY: like, no offense here, but you've not exactly been around enough to be my “old man”.  
JOHN: probably not, no.

The traffic moves forward by half an inch. Up ahead, Harry hears the shrill whirring of a Crockercorp drone ID checking someone. Probably an out-of-town worker. The travel restrictions have gotten much harsher since Karkat openly declared war against Jane.

JOHN: when did you and your mom move out of the crocker estate?  
HARRY: about a year ago? i don't know, a little after my fifteenth birthday.  
HARRY: jane and mom hadn't spoken for so long that by that point, nobody cared that we left the gated community.  
HARRY: she doesn't talk about it, but i think she beats herself up for remaining neutral in the whole situation.  
JOHN: that sounds like your mother.  
HARRY: yeah, like you know her well enough to say that.

He doesn't mean for it to come out that harsh, but it does. John closes his eyes, taking it like he believes he deserves it. Harry shakes his head. He's got so much built-up resentment and anger towards his father that if he started letting it all out, he's genuinely afraid he wouldn't be able to stop.

JOHN: although, speaking of which...  
JOHN: your uncle jake's moved in with me.

Now this makes Harry pause.

HARRY: you're harbouring jake crocker?  
JOHN: well, more like he showed up on my doorstep all sad and defeated.  
JOHN: he'd lost everything. what was i meant to do?  
HARRY: dad, he was literally complicit in genocide.  
HARRY: like, are we just forgetting the decade's worth of propaganda death shows that he ran?  
JOHN: sorry, i was kind of out of the loop there.  
HARRY: you somehow missed the entire rise of a dictatorship?  
JOHN: as i said, out of the loop, ha ha.

John does this kind of self-deprecating laugh that's clearly a poor attempt to deflect from this awkward train of thought. Harry hates how he recognises the gesture as one he himself does.

HARRY: no wonder vris's moms think you're an unreliable wimp.  
JOHN: once again, ouch.  
HARRY: i mean, as instrumental figures go in the suppression of a fourth of all life on this planet, you could have picked worse?

They gain another inch in this insufferable traffic block. Harry drums his fingers against his leg.

HARRY: so, how did you manage to smuggle him in without jane noticing?  
JOHN: oh, yeah, i kind of think she stopped caring?  
JOHN: it'll never make the news, but they got divorced.  
HARRY: holy shit.  
HARRY: uh, sorry.  
JOHN: no need, son. we live in pretty holy shit times, as it turns out.  
HARRY: yeah.  
HARRY: so...  
HARRY: he's just there?  
JOHN: i'm pretty much the only person left who isn't either loyal to jane or has declared him a mortal enemy.  
JOHN: he brought tavros, too. poor kid.

Harry's eyes go wide.

HARRY: tavros got out? god damn.  
HARRY: wonder why he never told me and vris.  
JOHN: i imagine because it was safer to keep a low profile at the start?  
JOHN: and also, they weren't able to take any possessions with them.  
JOHN: i offered tavros one of my phones, but he doesn't seem to trust technology.  
HARRY: duh. his mom has, like, everything bugged at the crocker estates.

John's expression takes a turn for the disconcerted, like he's both regretting not doing what he did sooner and fearing for the consequences of acting at all. It's a strange face journey to watch happen in real time, Harry thinks.

JOHN: but aren't he and vriska...? this is definitely a weird thing for me to ask, but how did he keep in contact with her without jane, um...

Harry lets out a sigh. This is just gonna be one of those conversations, isn't it.

HARRY: ok, yes that's kinda weird for you to be thinking about, and i'm also about to break tavros's confidence in a major way, but...  
HARRY: gamzee bought him an untraceable burner phone for his birthday last year, under the condition that he gets to read through all their hateflirt logs afterwards.

John's face scrunches up, eventually landing on outright horrified.

JOHN: jesus fucking christ.  
JOHN: that is... i can't even describe how horrific that is.

Harry leans back, kicking his feet up on the dashboard. The edges of his sneakers are scuffed, which is still such a wild concept to consider. Back in the gated community, everything was pristine and camera-ready all the time. The roughness, the imperfection, is infinitely fascinating to him.

HARRY: i don't know, it all felt so normal at the time?  
HARRY: like oh yeah, gonna text tavros. his gross fucking clown uncle's gonna read the logs when we're done, but whatever.  
HARRY: it was just a thing that always happened.

John full-on, actually and literally snarls.

JOHN: that fucking piece of shit clown. i should have set that fridge of his on fire instead.  
HARRY: uh, what are you talking about?

John looks away guiltily.

JOHN: just some regrets from my youth is all.  
JOHN: anyway.  
HARRY: anyway, uh, yeah.  
HARRY: if he really is bunking with you, tell tavros i said hi or whatever.  
JOHN: will do.

There's another gap opening up in front of them. John maneuvers the car into its spot. His style of driving is a little rough and unsteady, like any second the car will flip off the road and start flying. The self-driving cars at the Crocker estate were much smoother and uniform. With his dad, Harry gets the sense of flux, like anything could happen. It's so different from anything he's known.

But then he looks at his father and the void he created comes right back, slamming into him so hard he almost forgets how to breathe. Harry comes to the realisation, as he often does, that things will never be simple between him and his father.

JOHN: i wonder if things would have been different if i'd stayed.  
HARRY: huh?

John stares straight ahead, moving slowly in tandem with the traffic. He doesn't break his gaze, even when the Crockercorp surveillance drone scans their car and marks them both as legal citizens. Harry shrinks back a little in his seat as the infrared beam flicks over him. He always hates how exposed it makes him feel. Privately, he prays for the day the rebellion puts an end to all that.

JOHN: like, if i hadn't abandoned you and roxy, and checked out back when jane and jake could be saved.  
JOHN: if i'd been there... would it have made a difference?  
JOHN: if i'd actually done the whole husband and father thing properly, if...  
JOHN: if i'd stepped up to the plate as a real man, could i have made things better?

There's a slight tremble to his hands as he goes on. Harry looks away, suddenly feeling intensely awkward. His mom, in the moments she'd actually be candid about the death of her marriage, would often cite her ex-husband's self-deprecating protagonist syndrome as one of the major deal breakers. This idea that the universe revolves around John Egbert, and therefore everything bad that happens ever must be John Egbert's fault.

Harry guesses this is his first taste of it, and he can safely say it fucking sucks.

HARRY: look, i don't know.  
HARRY: maybe. maybe not. doesn't really matter.  
HARRY: that's not what you did, dad. there's no changing that.  
HARRY: you walked out on your family, and the world also went to shit.  
HARRY: so here we are. that's our reality.

He feels the edges of his tempers fraying a little. All he really wants to do is scream at his father why his sixteen year old son is the the emotionally responsible one in this vehicle, why he didn't even so much as show up for Harry's birthdays, why the fuck he was able to leave Harry's mom in such a vulnerable state that even now she's not over—

Harry doesn't say any of this, of course. He's too cool. Unflappable. The level-headed member of the operation.

HARRY: and, uh, i dunno about the whole changing stuff thing.  
HARRY: like, the me that i am right now is pretty much a product of the reality we're in.  
HARRY: and even though it sucks in a hell of a lot of ways, this is still my life???  
HARRY: maybe it's because i'm not some super amazing reality bending god like you and mom and the rest, but...  
HARRY: if you ask me? the idea of abandoning this world for a better one just because the times are hard isn't the great solution you think it is.  
HARRY: it's cowardly.  
HARRY: maybe if you tried actually sticking around to fix the fuckups, and treated your surroundings less like they're a fucking bad story you're being forced to read and didn't leave your own fucking wife and son to struggle on our own in this crapsack hellscape where things keep getting _worse_ —

Okay, so, maybe he lied. He's really not cool and unflappable right now. In fact, he'd go so far as to say he's majorly losing his cool. Harry shuts his mouth, but it doesn't stop his body from shaking as everything pours through him. It only takes a couple seconds after that for him to start crying. Like, full on sobs, the kind he hasn't done since he was a little kid and Jane drilled into him that snotty sobs are so unbecoming for the cameras.

HARRY: you're my dad, and that's all i've ever wanted. for you to actually be that person.  
HARRY: why were you never able to do that??  
HARRY: what did i do so wrong that you couldn't stand to be around me???

John continues to look away, even as his frown deepens and his grip on the wheel tightens. Harry feels the precise moment he loses what precious little control he still has, like the lid snapping off of a bottle of soda.

JOHN: harry anderson, i—  
HARRY: please, for once, just FUCKING _LOOK AT ME_!!!

Harry screams at the end, harsh enough that his throat feels like it's been ripped in two, and loud enough that passing pedestrians flash a few concerned glances his way. He clenches his fist and sucks in ragged breaths, and looks towards his dad. If this isn't enough to get John to wake up, then nothing is. But Harry already fears it's too late, that the relationship he's always wanted is a lost cause.

Then John turns his head, slowly, away from the traffic, and towards Harry. It's like he's actually looking at his son as a real person for the first time in his life. Harry hitches out an involuntary gasp that very nearly becomes a full-blown panic attack.

JOHN: harry, i'm looking at you right now.  
JOHN: you're my son, and all i've done is fail you.  
JOHN: i see that i've done that for far too long.  
JOHN: you deserve better from me, and i swear to you i will do better from now on.  
JOHN: i love you so much, and i am so sorry i've hurt you.  
JOHN: you don't have to forgive me, but please, give me one last chance to do right by you.  
HARRY:  
HARRY:

Harry tries to speak, but finds his mouth empty. He swallows around something large and trembling in his throat. His face burns. This is everything he's ever wanted, right here. Every part of him is screaming to lean into his father's arms and melt back in time until he's a child again and the world is simple, and every other part of him is screaming to bolt out of the car door and keep running until he collapses.

John still looks at him. Tears are in his eyes, behind his slowly-fogging glasses.

JOHN: i'm here for you now, son. i promise, i won't be going anywhere.

He puts a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry doesn't make a move to shrug away. He feels both hot and cold at the same time, like he's sinking into unreality.

JOHN: so what do you say, want to start again?

His dad's face is so earnest, so present. It can't be happening. But stranger things have happened, like Jane Crocker's own human husband fleeing from her grasp. Or his mom having a genuine conversation with her estranged husband. Maybe this is a time for impossible change, after all.

HARRY: dad, i  
DRONE: OPEN YOUR WINDOW. YOUR COMMUNICATION CREDENTIALS MARK YOU AS ONE WITH INFORMATION ON KNOWN WANTED CRIMINAL FIGURES. COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY.

One of the Crocker drones outside leans in towards their car, and extends a mechanical hand to start rapping on the window. It's one of the AI models, large crimson metal spheres the size of beach balls with disturbingly dextrous robotic arms and a large blinking red light for an eye that looks like something out of some old and shitty sci-fi movie.

DRONE: SUBMIT TO INTERROGATION FOR THE SAKE OF PRESERVING OUR SOCIETY.

Its eye beams a red light that greedily scans over Harry. He pulls away from his dad's touch and flinches back into his seat.

HARRY: uh...  
JOHN: well, fuck.  
DRONE: DEFIANCE OF ORDERS WILL BE LOGGED AS SEDITIOUS TREASON AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY. YOU WILL COMPLY.  
HARRY: what the hell is this??  
JOHN: well, seems like one or more of us has been communicating with known rebels via some device currently in this car.

Harry winces, becoming immediately aware of the phone in his pocket bloated with text messages to Vrissy, the daughter of two rebel leaders who has now joined the fray herself.

HARRY: well, shi  
JOHN: i knew i should have been more careful about meeting rose and kanaya earlier.  
HARRY: y  
HARRY: YOU???

Today's just one earth-shattering revelation about his father after another. Harry feels like he's been given whiplash a good four times at least, and it's not even six pm yet.

JOHN: yeah! but i'm not sure now is really the best time to get into that one!  
DRONE: SUBMIT TO INTERROGATION OR FACE THE PENALTY.

The drone starts making a very incredibly fucking alarming sound. Its eye begins to pulse in a way that tips Harry off to the fact that there's pretty much guaranteed chance it's actually some kind of death ray.

JOHN: i am proud of you for engaging in activities to undermine the government, though, harry! nice to see your prankster blood alive and kicking!  
HARRY: i thought you said we were going to talk about this later!!!!!  
DRONE: YOUR NON-COMPLIANCE HAS BEEN LOGGED. ADMINISTERING RETRIBUTION.

Harry breaks out into a cold sweat as he grapples with his imminent mortality for the first time in his sixteen years of life. John is notably less freaked out, looking almost... thrilled by the prospect of lethal peril?

HARRY: fuck fuck fuck FUCK!!!! what do we do!!!

One of the drone's arms balls into a fist, aimed right for the passenger side window. Harry takes the opportunity to scream again. Just as his wailing reaches a crescendo, John grabs his shoulders, and turns his head so they're face-to-face.

JOHN: harry, listen to me.  
JOHN: i can get us out of here, but you need to trust me entirely. can you do that?

Trying not to black out from terror, Harry nods. In response, John's face goes suddenly very severe.

JOHN: brace yourself.  
HARRY: wh

Before Harry can get the words out, John winds down all the car's windows and flicks one wrist. Out of nowhere, a pulse of screaming-cold air blasts out of the car, blowing out all the windows of the nearby buildings. Harry shrinks into a ball, desperately trying as best he can to weather the sudden wind tunnel his dad's car's turned into. His hair whips around all over the place and he hunches his shoulders up to try and protect his ears from the concentrated air blasts. The drone gets caught in one of the cyclones, slamming against a wall with enough force to shatter into countless pieces.

As the wind explosion dies down, Harry's still-ringing ears pick up the sound of a gradually escalating alarm, coming presumably from the robot's black box. He looks over to his dad, who is remarkably unfazed by the whole event. Unlike Harry, who is now windblown as fuck, not a thing about John Egbert is out of place. It's the first time he's really, truly seen his father as the god that he is.

HARRY: :O  
HARRY: holy fucking shit!!

Harry gapes for a few seconds longer. A little further down the road, a rising tide of local dronebots rapidly advance towards their present location, no doubt heeded on by the distress signal of damaged government property. They're all blinking and whirring and absolutely, without a doubt, fucking furious.

John, surprisingly, merely laughs.

JOHN: ok, harry, you ready to see something really cool?  
JOHN: get ready for lift off.

John reaches over to check that his seatbelt remains firmly secure, and rolls the windows back up. Then he grabs the gear stick with one hand, and raises the other. A soft blue aura pulses out from his fingertips that quickly ensconces the car, and just as the drones are upon them, the car springs into the air like a slingshot.

HARRY: oh my god. oh my god.

Harry leans over to look out of the window. The city is now beneath them, and shrinking with every passing second.

JOHN: whoo! ha ha! :D

John laughs like an elated child for about half a minute as Harry alternates between looking at his father, and looking down at Earth C from above. He finally calms down as they breach the cloud layer.

JOHN: ok, we should be out of their range up here.  
JOHN: BOY is the government not gonna be happy with us.

The car slows its ascent, rotating until it's once again horizontal. John leans back, smiling widely all the while.

JOHN: well, there you have it. looks like we're officially in the revolution, now.

He gives a knowing wink.

JOHN: better let your secret inside contact know about this stunning development. ;)  
HARRY: oh my god  
HARRY: we just did that.

Numbly, Harry fumbles for his phone as the car passes through a layer of cloud that wraps around them like off-white mist. His hands are trembling as he pulls up the messenger app, but from what he couldn't say.

HARRY: vris.  
HARRY: you are never going to fucking believe this.

vi.

VRISSY: Hey. Harry just Texted me.  
VRISSY: Gotta T8ke this Real Quick.  
SOLLUX: c00l i literally d0n't give a fuck.

Vrissy hangs back against the wall as Vriska follows Sollux deeper into the meteor's interior. The last five thousand years have been remarkably kind to the place, all things considered. Moss and vines stretch along the walls, and the interior furnishings were gutted long ago, but overall the whole thing is structurally sound.

VRISKA: So, you've 8een living here for who the fuck knows how long?  
SOLLUX: yeah pretty much.  
VRISKA: How did you manage to survive in this place without any 8asic necessities?  
SOLLUX: 0h c0me 0n we were a gh0st an imm0rtal and whatever the fuck i am it's n0t like we c0uld fucking die 0r anything.  
VRISKA: Jeesh! You sure told me!

Sollux gives a cranky huff as they turn the corner into a narrower, much more familiar hallway. Vriska looks to the floor. It's faint, but the ancient and immortal etchings of the penis hopscotch remain visible for those who dare to look. She wonders about Dave and Karkat for a moment, wonders what became of them in this new, horrible world, then remembers that actually she couldn't care less.

There's still flakes of chalk on the stairs, Vriska notices as she climbs up. Sollux is just ahead of her, levitating up the stairs with absolute indifference. A little further up and about ten feet in the air is a hole in the wall where a vent grate used to be. She blew it out herself about a year into the trip, when she caught wind of Rose and Kanaya's drunk date, so she brought Terezi to... uh...

Actually, come to think of it, reminiscing sucks. Totally not worth her time at all.

VRISKA: How long exactly have you 8een here?  
SOLLUX: define 'here'. y0u mean 0n this shitty field, in this r0tten mete0r, 0r 0n this planet in general?  
VRISKA: The last one.  
SOLLUX: idk.  
VRISKA: Wow, what a useful exch8nge of inform8tion!  
SOLLUX: stfu i was pausing f0r dramatic effect.

Sollux shoots out a stray psionic spark that zaps Vriska across the shoulders. She winces, but it doesn't really hurt any more than a static shock would.

SOLLUX: the seri0us answer is like five 0r six sweeps.  
VRISKA: Shit.  
SOLLUX: yeah after all 0f fucking reality fell apart at the seams aa and i kinda fell ass backwards int0 this shith0le.  
SOLLUX: wandered the planet f0r a c0uple weeks until we g0t wind that 0ne 0f this w0rld's g0ds was dead 0r s0mething.  
SOLLUX: i wanted jack shit t0 d0 with it but aradia was insistent, citing s0me weird “feeling” it was where we needed t0 be.  
SOLLUX: als0 at the time, i was still blind as shit and hadn't figured 0ut yet h0w to see with my psi0nics, s0 i really didn't have a fucking say in the matter.

They pass by one of the many common rooms that were kept deliberately empty so as to serve as neutral meeting ground whenever dream bubble ghosts would show up, as they tended to do a lot. So many ghosts, and none of them the people anyone on the meteor wanted to see. One of the worst times was when Vriska came face-to-face with her alt-ghost self from the aborted timeline. The meeting was so bad that nearly a sweep later, when she embarked on her final mission to save reality, she was still furious enough to rip into the poor girl. Looking back, she's not sure if it was the right thing to do, or if there even was a “right thing” to do when handling a lamer version of yourself hoarding the most important weapon in all creation.

Vriska follows Sollux up another flight of stairs. A gust of wind rattles around the interior of the meteor, bringing with it the distant sounds of groaning metal. It makes Vriska worry for the structural integrity of this place for just a moment, before remembering that even if it did collapse, she's an immortal god who'd get up no worse for wear.

SOLLUX: anyway, we gate crashed the c0rpse party f0r s0me alt versi0n 0f 0ne 0f the humans.  
SOLLUX: the wh0le thing was stupid as fuck, because apparently gr0wing int0 adulth00d gives y0u s0 many fucking brainw0rms.  
SOLLUX: a bunch 0f bullshit happened several times 0ver, until basically every0ne had cleared 0ut fr0m the church save f0r me and aradia.  
SOLLUX: then the dead jade came back t0 life, except n0t fucking really, because it was actually the cherub pil0ting the c0rpse in a state 0f suspended animation.  
VRISKA: The cheru8?  
SOLLUX: yeah big sp00ky gh0st bitch that ate the fucking green sun in the middle 0f the battle with l0rd english.  
VRISKA: Why the fuck would she care a8out some random dead Jade????????

Sollux shrugs again.

SOLLUX: d0 i l00k like i have any 0f the fucking answers?  
SOLLUX: if i HAD t0 guess, maybe it's s0mething t0 d0 with space p0wers??  
SOLLUX: aradia w0uld kn0w m0re than me, but wh00p, seems she fucked 0ff and left me t0 r0t.  
VRISKA: Hey! It's not my fault your girlfriend a8andoned you for a more relevant reality.  
SOLLUX: y0u're 0ne t0 talk.

Sollux gestures to the phone in Vriska's pocket, which she used to fire off a series of messages no more than thirty minutes earlier. Something unpleasant rolls down the back of her neck.

VRISKA: Anyway.  
VRISKA: So the cheru8 possessed dead Jade, then what?  
SOLLUX: she said s0me c0rny mystic shit like “c0me with me if y0u want t0 persist” 0r something.  
SOLLUX: and because 0ur friends all grew up t0 be c0mplete l0sers we decided why the fuck n0t.  
SOLLUX: s0 she telep0rted us t0 the middle 0f n0where, pulled the mete0r 0ut 0f the gr0und, threw us 0n b0ard, and 0rbited the planet f0r several sweeps.  
SOLLUX: literally n0 clue h0w much time passed f0r us. things seemed t0 happen acc0rding t0 the rules 0f “narrative pacing” 0r what the fuck ever.  
SOLLUX: after a bunch 0f b0ring cryptic bullshit and watching this dumb w0rld tear itself apart, turns 0ut we were waiting f0r her br0ther t0 fall thr0ugh int0 this timeline s0 she c0uld v0re the fuck 0ut of him.  
VRISKA: Holy shit.  
SOLLUX: yeah, y0u're telling me. anyway that all happened a c0uple h0urs ago?  
SOLLUX: we landed, english landed, she ate his dead b0dy, then fucked 0ff int0 the v0id.  
SOLLUX: can't tell y0u f0r sure because i had n0 interest in any 0f it.  
VRISKA: So you had the opportunity to watch Lord English's final demise and you... didn't take it?  
SOLLUX: first 0ff i'm blind s0 0f fucking c0urse n0t and sec0nd were y0u n0t paying attenti0n t0 h0w frequently i menti0ned i literally d0n't give a fuck.  
SOLLUX: guy never b0thered me, what d0 i care h0w he died.  
VRISKA: 8ut... he was literally indirectly responsi8le for every 8ad thing that ever happened to us?  
SOLLUX: he really fucking wasn't. prick just liked t0 claim credit f0r any0ne wh0se ethical vi0lati0ns aligned with his 0wn p0litics.  
SOLLUX: like i'm fucking s0rry, eridan didn't alm0st kill me specifically t0 facilitate the rise 0f a fuck0ff huge g0blin 0n ster0ids.  
VRISKA:  
SOLLUX: actually i'm n0t having this argument with y0u. i still d0n't give a shit.

Sollux raises a hand in dismissal, and continues to float up through the meteor's interior. Vriska shoves her hand in her pockets and trudges along after him, scuffing her shoes against the cracks in the floor. The white lining of her soles is stained an awful shade of purple that she knows won't wash out. She also doesn't want to think about the precise combination of bodily fluids that led to the staining in the first place.

They rise a few more floors in complete silence. Save for the odd metallic creak, there's no other sound. Vriska gets the sense that the only living beings on this meteor are the three of them. Or whatever the fuck Sollux's current state of being can be called.

She tilts her head back, looking down the long and looming hallways into the darkness. She wonders where Vrissy got to. At least the kid's relatively safe in here, and even if the meteor is a labyrinth, all roads eventually lead topside, which is where she assumes they're going.

VRISKA: Hey, just realised.  
VRISKA: You never actually answered my question.  
SOLLUX: what fucking question.  
VRISKA: How long has it 8een for you?

Sollux sighs.

SOLLUX: i t0ld y0u, i d0n't fucking kn0w.  
SOLLUX: time g0t weird pretty early 0n. all i kn0w is that it's definitely N0T been five sweeps f0r me.  
SOLLUX: it feels like MAYBE 0ne 0r tw0 sweeps at a push.  
SOLLUX: my best fucking answer is appr0ximately twenty chapters in a narrative but that makes n0 fucking sense.  
SOLLUX: FUCK i've been ar0und the cherub f0r t00 l0ng if that's a sentence i just said unir0nically.

He shakes his head, bringing one hand to massage his temple like he's on the brink of a melodramatic existential episode. It's coming back to Vriska how much of a whiny bitch Sollux used to be. She's actually kind of glad she didn't have much to do with him back during Sgrub, and maybe it's a sign of her continued cosmic punishment that he's the only one of her friends that's left.

VRISKA: Well, it's 8een some time for me, too, since the g8me.  
VRISKA: Like... may8e a sweep or so?  
SOLLUX: 00h l00k at y0u racking up the chr0n0l0gical displacement.  
SOLLUX: try being an age-l0cked gh0st f0r half an eternity. then y0u can c0mplain.  
VRISKA: When did you get to 8e such a cranky old man?  
SOLLUX: been like this the wh0le damn time. try t0 keep up.

Sollux goes quiet again, evidently running out of things to say to her now that they're as good as caught up on their own personal exposition dumps. Vriska reaches into her pocket as she walks, and pulls out John's stolen phone. It's been a few hours, but her messages haven't even been graced with as much as a 'read' receipt.

AG: I know I just dumped a 8unch of heavy shit on you there, haha, 8ut I need to tell you this.  
AG: You'll never guess who I'm with right now, nor will you guess how 8ig a stick they have up their ass. ::::)

She doesn't mean to send the messages. It just sort of happens, like a nervous subconscious reflex. It does make her feel a little better, though. Of course, the messages sit unread just as the last ones do, but she was kind of expecting that. Reading through the logs shows a clear kind of timezone disparity between Earth C and the furthest ring, so it could take a while. Even though it's always John who experienced the delay in receiving the messages, and the last conversation was pretty alarming. But Vriska can't think of that if she wants to keep powering on without losing it.

The first signs of life on the meteor are found on the top floor before the rooftop. There's a freshly-alchemised vending machine leaning against one of the doors, and one of the bedrooms has a half-full recooperacoon, vaguely fresh looking sopor slime sloshed all over the floor. A glance at the trashcan positioned near the door to the stairwell shows her a pile of empty chip bags and soda cans, both human and Alternian in branding. There's also an alarming amount of... lollipop sticks? Yeah, she doesn't get that one.

Sollux shoves the door open with a psychic blast and vanishes up the stairs. Vriska's not far behind him. As she climbs the final flight of stairs up to the rooftop, she realises they never passed by her old room on the way up. She's not sure if she's glad about that or not.

By the time she catches up, she finds Sollux sitting on the edge of the rooftop, staring out over the countryside. Or, more that his head is pointed in that general direction. She's not exactly sure on how much his psionics are letting him see, and she's not about to put her foot in her mouth and ask that question. She walks up to him, but doesn't sit beside him. They're not that close. Instead, she elects to stand by a conspicuous burned dent in the metal of the floor, roughly in the shape of the Space aspect symbol.

It's a pleasant enough day with clear skies, a sight that is still totally unfamiliar to Vriska, but something about it all seems terribly artificial. Like there's no way this is an actual planet with an actual history and actual inhabitants. Sollux is the most substantial thing she's seen all day.

VRISKA: You said you witnessed the last five sweeps' worth of history, give or take, right?  
SOLLUX: yeah.  
VRISKA: So... what the fuck actually happened on this planet?  
SOLLUX: b0y where the fuck d0 i start.

Sollux leans back on his hands and tilts his head upwards to feel the sun on his face. Vriska folds her arms and starts tapping her foot in no particular rhythm.

SOLLUX: understand first 0f all that everything ab0ut this w0rld is a bunch 0f irrelevant d0gshit.  
SOLLUX: n0thing here matters, s0 d0n't g0 taking it seri0usly.  
VRISKA: Really, I wasn't planning on it.  
SOLLUX: 0k.  
SOLLUX: the gist is that the cr0cker human seized c0ntr0l 0f this relatively peaceful w0rld and went 0n a gen0cide bender against tr0lls.  
SOLLUX: the g0ds g0t inv0lved 0r didn't get inv0lved in vari0us ways.  
SOLLUX: eventually karkat had fucking en0ugh and started a pr0tracted pe0ple's war in retaliati0n, and things escalated t0 the p0int where every0ne's bl0wing each 0ther up.  
SOLLUX: and f0r s0me fucking reas0n gamzee was there f0r a h0t minute as head 0f s0me weird bullshit cult all the tr0ll gh0sts g0t really int0.  
SOLLUX: y0u d0 kn0w ab0ut the gh0sts, right.  
VRISKA: Yeah, Vrissy filled me in.

Sollux groans.

SOLLUX: d0n't tell me her fucking name. i sw0re 0ff learning any details that might make this wh0le reality stick ar0und in my head.  
VRISKA: Hey, she's not that 8ad.  
VRISKA: And, uh, wow, at all that other stuff you mentioned.  
VRISKA: How the fuck did that end up happening?  
SOLLUX: beats me. the muse 0nly really cared ab0ut facilitating english's arrival and half the st0ry was f0calised thr0ugh j0hn egbert's whiny l0ser p0int 0f view.  
VRISKA: Yeah, what is up with that? Like, I'm sorry, 8ut I never got the sense John actually mattered in any meaningful capacity?  
SOLLUX: 0h this 0ne d0esn't, but he was the m0st c0nvenient narrative target f0r bullshit reas0ns i can't remember.  
SOLLUX: pr0bably s0mething t0 d0 with the m0re relevant timeline, tbh.  
SOLLUX: why the fuck did we end up here.

He says that last bit with uncharacteristic gravity and bitterness, like maybe this is affecting him more than he's letting on. Vriska looks at the back of his head awkwardly.

VRISKA: Well, to 8e fair, you haven't 8een relevant to the greater scheme of things in sweeps.  
VRISKA: It's almost understanda8le that you ended up here.  
VRISKA: What doesn't m8ke sense is why *I* ended up here.  
VRISKA: Like, hello, I'm practically reality's 8iggest hero!  
SOLLUX: g00d t0 see time hasn't humbled y0u 0ne fucking i0ta.

Sollux flicks out a spark of psionic energy into the air that bursts like a small firecracker a few feet away, and then loops back into his skin.

SOLLUX: g0d this wh0le place feels wr0ng.  
SOLLUX: can't fucking believe aradia ditched me here 0f all places.  
VRISKA: Honestly, yeah, what the fuck is with that?  
VRISKA: Thought the two of you were as good as soulm8tes or something like that.

Sollux throws his hands up.

SOLLUX: well s0 did i, but i guess the fuck n0t!  
SOLLUX: i think seeing all 0f parad0x space g0 d0wn the shitter hit her harder than she ever let 0n.  
VRISKA: Really? All she ever went on a8out was seeing everything 8r8k apart.  
SOLLUX: well, experiencing it is a wh0le different arena stickball game.  
SOLLUX: she had this weird manic energy pretty much since the last dream bubble c0llapsed and sucked us int0 the black h0le.  
SOLLUX: and then she spent every waking h0ur listening t0 the cherub's serm0ns. wh0 the fuck kn0ws what kind 0f ideas g0t implanted in her head.  
SOLLUX: like wh0'd have th0ught ARADIA 0f all pe0ple w0uld fuck 0ff and leave an irrelevant timeline t0 r0t??  
SOLLUX: this is abs0lutely her kind 0f place, yet we're the 0nes left stranded and unable t0 leave??  
VRISKA: Yeah, that is pretty fucking str8nge. She loved the dream 8u88les and m8king friends with people from go-nowhere unimportant realities like this!  
VRISSY: Hey! What's Unimportant, exactly?

Vriska spins around to see Vrissy standing in the doorway. She's panting a little, as if she sprinted up a good few flights of stairs, but her hair and makeup is still otherwise in immaculate condition. Seriously, Vriska wonders how the hell the kid does it.

SOLLUX: 0h fuck y0u're still real and still here.  
VRISSY: Duh, of Course I would 8e????????  
SOLLUX: i was sincerely h0ping y0u were just a hallucinati0n c0njured by my t0rmented brain.  
VRISSY: Wow, that's sure a fucking Thing you're s8ying!

Vrissy's face falls a little. She walks halfway across the rooftop, stopping a few feet away from Vriska before pouting and folding her arms in an uncanny mirroring of Vriska's own posture. She holds her phone in one hand, a phone which is buzzing like a motherfucker.

VRISSY: So what, Exactly, is irrelevant?  
SOLLUX: everything ab0ut this shitty fucking planet is what.  
VRISSY: Hey! I resent that?

She doesn't sound exactly certain of herself. It's one of those subtle differences in character between Vriska and Vrissy. Vriska's not sure if it improves or worsens the situation.

VRISKA: No, like, o8jectively, this world has no gr8ter cosmic value.  
VRISKA: It's a go-nowhere timeline that origin8ted from the decision of a man who's given up on trying to inject any kind of relevance to what's going on.  
SOLLUX: this is basically at this p0int j0hn egbert's psych0tic midlife ennui simluat0r.  
VRISSY: Haha, literally What The Fuck are you two talking a8out?  
VRISKA: Earth C is 8oring as fuck and we're stuck here so long as nothing exciting or important happens.  
VRISSY: Ok, well, ignoring whatever Stupid 8ullshit you're Going On A8out...  
VRISSY: T8ke A Look at This!!!!!!!!

She raises her phone screen up. Vriska can see an alarmingly dense wall of light blue text that she can't make out from here.

SOLLUX: w0w i sure d0 feel included 0ver here.  
VRISKA: Sollux, shut the fuck up. You don't care.

Sollux flips a middle finger and goes back to sunbathing or whatever it is he's doing.

VRISKA: Ignore him. What's this a8out?  
VRISSY: Ok, so.  
VRISSY: Turns Out Harry and His Dad are now Officially Re8els.  
VRISKA: Wait, what????????  
VRISSY: Yeah! Harry's Dad took him on some l8me Parent-Child 8onding Drive and they ended up Destroying Government Property!  
VRISSY: It's all over The News. You can Check It Out Yourself.

As Vrissy rambles on, Vriska retrieves her own phone. She tabs out of the messenger app and instead boots up what looks like a humanised version of Chittr. The interface is bloated and clunky (and technically unsupported by her browser) and she's logged into John's account which is being assaulted by hundreds of notifications per second which slows the scrolling experience to a crawl.

She eventually finds out how to access the news feed, and sees, written plainly across the top banner, “HEIR OF BREATH TURNED FUGITIVE AFTER DESTRUCTION OF CROCKERCORP SURVEILLANCE TECH IN CLEAR ACT OF REBELLION”. There's a picture of a car blasting out a bunch of bright blue tornados, but she can still clearly make out John's face in the driver's seat, plus some kid sitting next to him who she assumes must be this Harry.

VRISKA: God damn.  
VRISSY: I know! I've never Seen Harry's dad Ever do anything so Important or Relevant.

Vriska looks to Vrissy, then her news feed again. Gears start turning in her brain, ideas and relisations slotting into place. This could be her chance, if she plays her cards right, to flip this narrative in her favour and get everything she wants.

VRISKA: Hey, Vrissy.  
VRISKA: You're in contact with 8oth Harry and the re8ellion, right?  
VRISSY: Yeah, Why?  
VRISKA: I have a plan.

vii.

Jake English doesn't mean to reach for the bottle every time a Crocker warship flies over Chez Egbert Classic Edition. It just sort of happens beyond his control. He feels the rumble in his bones and then suddenly there's half a vintage down his gullet. His sylladex is running low enough that he's been paying serious heed to dusting off the old alchemiter upstairs and putting the residual grist he pilfered off Jane to good use.

It's early afternoon in the Consort Kingdom, the kind of warm day he'd have cherished in his youth. Now he leans sprawled over John's dining table, one stiff one away from throwing all self-aware thought to the wind. The couple of days John was here, Jake was doing well. He'd stayed away from the drink and had even gone as far as to plant a couple of pumpkin seeds out in the back yard. Yes he imbued them with Hope powers to ensure they'd thrive completely independently, but it's the spirit of the thing that matters.

Somewhere something explodes. Jake winces and pours another glass of whiskey. It burns down his throat and sits heavy in his stomach. He's wearing one of John's old outfits – a slime ghost tee under an open green plaid shirt, and an old pair of plus-sized jeans. The shirt is soaked through with booze stains and the jeans strain to stay fastened. He cups his cheek with one hand, feeling the coarse bristle of unattended-to stubble so thick now that he's really running the risk of growing a boozer's beard. The man guzzling himself to oblivion is a far cry from the Jake English, or even Jake Crocker, of yesteryear. Gone is the fit lad tousling in exhibition matches with his best bro, and gone is the dapper chap who gave Hollywood smiles as the trolls on his game shows were dragged off to hard labour camps. He's a washed up wreck of his former self, and not getting better.

This was meant to be his fresh start. Him and Tavvy, all packed up and ready to flee from Jane's clutches, from a downright rotten wife and mother. And for that first day with John, Jake genuinely believed it. And then he woke up the next morning, and things weren't his ideal. And also turns out he really has no idea where to start. And also also it's coming to his attention that he hasn't spoken with Tavros once since they rocked up here. He's not even sure where his boy is. Probably upstairs. Tavvy was always good at being quiet, at not making a fuss when his mother and father scrapped, keeping nice and quiet when Gamzee would slip in and out of his private rooms unbidden like some terrible and sticky phantom—

There are a lot of crimes Jake has to answer for. His inability to set Jane on the right track. His utter compliance in the wholesale eradication of trollkind. Everything that went wrong in the short sixteen years his boy's been alive. So much, all on his doorstep, and nobody but him to sort it. When laid out like that, the bottle is clearly the obvious choice.

JAKE: Bottoms up and the devil laughs.

He understands now, more than ever, how Roxy felt back in their youth. The mounting pressure of trying to keep up appearances in a world gone to the dogs. It's a miracle the old girl had the fortitude to claw her way out of that hole. But she was a young thing with all the promise of eternity ahead. If Jake cleans up his act, what exactly does he have to look forward to? Enduring the brutal world he himself facilitated? He can't even try to fix it. He's the third-most wanted war criminal on Earth C. The revolution would have his head immediately. And it's not like he doesn't deserve it.

Another drone. Another drink. By all accounts, the amount of booze he's been burning through should kill a regular man stone dead. But with just a little belief, Jake's body's holding up remarkably well. Even if he's also willing away any of the good effects of being drunk to make way for the constant discomfort of feeling like a hungover tramp.

JAKE: Boy howdy is everything terrible!

Maybe if he's lucky Jane will change her mind and opt to hunt for him. Give him a good, clean, just death. Because it's not like this world has any more use for a man like good old Jake fucking—

TAVROS: F, father?  
JAKE: Huwha?

Jake snaps his head up. Tavros Crocker, his boy, stands sheepishly in the doorway. He's all wide eyes and skinny limbs from a life spent playing the role of the corporation's darling poster child, looking nothing like how either of his parents did in their youth. Cold shame washes through Jake's system.

TAVROS: Have you, um, been drinking all night, again?  
JAKE: Tavvy, my boy.  
JAKE: I...  
JAKE: Im sorry you have to see me like this. :(  
TAVROS: It's, okay,, i've seen, and endured,, much worse,  
TAVROS: Than my father, engaging in a bit of, imbibing,,

That does nothing to make Jake feel better. The personal failings he inflicted on the young man in front of him sting the worst. He barely has half a clue as to what lies in the dark and murky waters of Tavros's adolescence, only that maybe if Jake hadn't been too busy running shit like the fucking troll Hunger Games, he might have been able to prevent it.

JAKE: Ive been a downright rotten man and father to you...  
JAKE: Im so incredibly sorry that you were failed like this. :(  
TAVROS: Um, that's nice, to hear,, but,  
JAKE: Oh what a state ive made of things! What a washup its all turned out to be!  
JAKE: My boy can you ever find it in your heart to forgive your doddery old man?  
TAVROS: What, happened in the past, was,, the past,,,  
JAKE: Yes, but the wounds still fester! All of the blame rests at my threshold!

Jake starts ugly sobbing. He gulps down the rest of the bottle right in front of his bewildered son, realises what he's just done, then cries even harder.

TAVROS: Look, if, if this is a bad time,,  
JAKE: BOO HOO HOO MY LIFE IS IN SHAMBLES AND I CANT DO ANYTHING RIGHT!  
TAVROS: I, only came to you, because, um, i think that,  
JAKE: TAVVY MY BOY YOU DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS WRETCHED WASHUP AS YOUR SIRE  
TAVROS: Most likely, yet,,  
JAKE: WHEEZE SNORT SNIFFLE SOB! WEVE REALLY HIT ROCK BOTTOM LAD AND ITS ALL MY DOING!!  
TAVROS: ,,,  
JAKE: WAAAAH!!!!

This goes on for quite some time, Jake losing his shit in a drunken stupor, and Tavros playing silent and compliant witness to this trainwreck. If he has any strong feelings toward this situation, they're kept very well buried. Eventually, Jake is so far gone that between two particularly embarrassing wails he tilts back in this chair and is hapless to prevent himself from falling backwards and slamming against the tiled floor with sharp thud that ripples through his bones.

JAKE: Urh...

He looks up at the kitchen ceiling, pristine white marred by dust and smoke stains. The light fixture doubles, triples, dissolves into fractals, under his swimming vision. He thinks maybe he's going to throw up. Actually, uh, come to think of it...

Jake hitches himself into the fetal position and barfs out a full stomach's worth of alcohol all over the Egbert kitchen. It gushes out of him in streams like a burst hose pipe for a good sustained ten or so seconds. When it's done, Jake lets out a rippling belch and rolls again to face away from his mess.

JAKE: Shitleaping christ is this a situation...

He closes his eyes as a spike of pain flits through his skull. Behind him, he hears Tavros gently navigating the gross kitchen floor to reach him.

TAVROS: Are you, quite finished,  
JAKE: I dont know.

Jake drapes one arm over his eyes and lets out a sigh that tastes of lager and bile.

JAKE: Tav, my boy.  
JAKE: Say you forgive me and that youll give me another chance.  
TAVROS: Uh,,,  
JAKE: Im a foul rotter who doesnt deserve it, but if you could find the decency to spare a single crumb of absolution?  
TAVROS: I don't know, exactly, what you want me to do here,  
TAVROS: Do you want me to forgive you,, or not,  
JAKE: I...

Jake deflates.

JAKE: I dont fucking know.  
TAVROS: I mean, from where i'm standing, seems like you would like, to place the responsibility, of fixing your problems on someone else,,  
TAVROS: Such as,, i don't know, placing the onus on fixing our damaged relationship, on my opinion, and not any kind of meaningful actions you could take,,  
TAVROS: To be honest, even now,, you're kind of, seeking the easy way out,,,,  
JAKE: ...

Jake stares up at his son, sixteen and reedy and so mistreated, but so much infinitely wiser than his old man. He feels ashamed that this is what he's become: a middle-aged wreck whose own child can't see him as an adult.

JAKE: Perhaps i am.  
JAKE: Tav i just do not know what to do to fix this pickle of a reality.  
TAVROS: Well, uh, can you?  
JAKE: What do you mean?  
TAVROS: I mean, even if,, you're a god of this world,,  
TAVROS: One person, cannot fix everything,  
TAVROS: Even if you believe, hard enough,  
TAVROS: I think,, there's only so much you can do,,  
JAKE: But i caused so much ill.  
TAVROS: I know,

It stings to hear Tavros say it, but maybe it's what Jake needs to hear. He's still waiting for the moment where the words hit home, when his miserable reverie finally runs out.

JAKE: I enabled your mother to progressively go off the deep end over the course of two decades.  
JAKE: Wouldnt you say that puts the genocide of trolls squarely on my doorstep?  
TAVROS: Well, a portion of the blame, certainly is,  
TAVROS: But why, would it be your place,, and your place alone,, to fix things?  
JAKE: Because  
TAVROS: Forgive me for overstepping,, father,  
TAVROS: But you're not in a position, to be the hero of this world,,  
TAVROS: I don't think such people exist, actually,  
TAVROS: So i think, the smart move,, would be for you to focus on fixing the things you can materially affect,,,  
TAVROS: Because sitting here, and doing nothing is, definitely, just contributing to the problems, that are ailing your psyche,,

Tavros blinks down at him, a small frown on his face. He still looks torn as to whether or not interacting with his father is a waste of his time. It burns Jake so thoroughly, because deep down, he knows that everything Tavros is saying is right.

JAKE: By jove i have been quite the milquetoast turntail havent it?  
TAVROS: Yes,  
JAKE: Tavros, im so sorry that youve had to put up with how ive been.  
TAVROS: I've mostly just, been ignoring you,, like you did me,,, for a number of years,  
JAKE: Well, i think i need to make a concerted effort to change.  
TAVROS: That would be, ideal,  
JAKE: That sorts it.

Jake sits upright, willing his intoxication away with a blast of the good old Hope power. It doesn't do anything for the addiction that sits in the cradle of his mind, but he figures that one will be a longer, more invested project that probably requires some kind of professional intervention. Once his head clears, he hops to his feet, Hoping away the mess he made at the same time. Tavros kind of shuffles out of the way of the white aura, like he doesn't quite trust what he sees.

JAKE: This is me turning over a new leaf.  
JAKE: From now on you are bearing witness to the new and improved jake english!  
TAVROS: If you're sure, this time is for real,  
JAKE: Certainly my boy!

Jake pops up his shirt's collar, aware that he's probably a good fifteen years too old to make it look cool. Tavros pointedly looks at his shoes.

JAKE: Anyway! You said you had something on the brain you ought to share with me?  
TAVROS: Oh, yes,

Tavros pulls out his phone. Jake blinks in surprise. Only a few short days ago, the boy would avoid traceable technology like the plague. He wonders what happened to spur this change of outlook.

TAVROS: There's something going on, that i think you need,, to be aware of,  
JAKE: Well what is it?

Wordlessly, Tavros hands over his phone. It's open to the Troll Kingdom news feed, controversially enough. A VPN app works away in the background to enable access. Jake is honestly pretty surprised that Tavros would be all that bothered about this subterfuge, and also that he knows how to use it. Then again, being involved in a romantic dalliance with the daughter of two rebel leaders must have its perks.

JAKE: So whats all this about then?

Jake leans against the table and scrolls down the news feed. The top story is about what the Human Kingdom news network refers to as a civil disturbance in downtown NuSeattle and the Troll Kingdom news network refers to as the privileged class finally waking up to direct action.

JAKE: Lets see here...  
JAKE: “In a shocking turn of events, revolutionary violence has broken out in the streets of the human kingdoms third largest city...”  
JAKE: “A number of police surveillance drones and crockercorp owned properties have been destroyed...”  
JAKE: “Officially there are two dozen injuries and no fatalities...”  
JAKE: “Human authorities suspecting a homegrown incendiary device, but troll analysts think it more akin to a show of god tier force...”

As Jake reads, his brows furrow deeper and deeper. He scratches at his beard-in-progress and leans his face in even closer to the screen.

JAKE: “Leaked footage identifies the individual behind this action as... the heir of breath?”  
JAKE: Leaping christ tav, that cant be!  
TAVROS: I don't see any reason, why they would lie,,  
TAVROS: Also, vrissy texted me,, to basically confirm all of this,  
JAKE: Willickers lad this really is a thing.  
TAVROS: Yes, it is,

Jake keeps reading.

JAKE: Ok, so it seems the incident is currently under wraps in the human kingdom...  
JAKE: “And rebellion leader vantas is expected to make a statement on the defection of one john egbert to his cause later tonight to further shatter the sense of solidarity jane crocker thinks she has...”  
JAKE: By gum...

The rest of the post is just speculation from various professionals and podcasters as to what John's latest actions will mean for the war. Jake is concerned about that, too, kind of, but more immediately...

JAKE: I fear this is going to come back to us at some point tavvy.  
TAVROS: No, yeah,, pretty much,,  
TAVROS: M mother will, certainly,, send out agents to,,, to,,,,,

Tavros winces himself into silence, unable to finish the sentence. Jane really did a number on the boy. Jake feels an old flare of anger he hasn't felt in years which quickly tries to bubble into shame. The difference is Jake is still involved. He can still make amends.

JAKE: She shant harm you, tavvy. I swear that to you.  
TAVROS: You say that,,,

Jake spins around and makes eye contact with Tavros. Tavros shrinks even further under the scrutiny.

JAKE: No. Im absolutely a fuckup but thats a line even i wont cross. Youre safe from her.  
TAVROS: ,,,,,

He leans over and pats Tavros on the shoulder, gentle as can be, but Tavros still flinches like he's been slapped. Jake wonders which of the two of them needs therapy more.

TAVROS: So,, what do we do, from here?

Jake stands up straight. The cogs are turning in his brain for the first time in an eternity. The autonomous scheming gives him a unique kind of thrill.

JAKE: Tavros my boy, i have a plan.  
TAVROS: Do you,,,

He seems doubtful, but there's also a spark of hope in Tavros's wide eyes. Jake smiles.

JAKE: Absolutely.  
JAKE: Now first things first may i temporarily commandeer your phone?  
TAVROS: Uh, sure,,  
TAVROS: Just,, just don't,,, sign in to any of my private pages,,  
JAKE: Fear not i only require a working pesterchum client.

Tavros raises an eyebrow.

TAVROS: Oh, well, yeah,,, fine,  
TAVROS: I don't even, have it installed, so,,  
TAVROS: Feel free,,  
JAKE: Absolutely cricket my boy!

As he talks, Jake flits over to the app store and quickly downloads Pesterchum onto the phone. It's a snappy process thanks to the absolutely stellar wifi available pretty much everywhere on the planet, even if it has suffered a little due to the corporate takeover. Once the app's on the phone, the masker pops up and performs a scrub of all tracing software, leaving Jake with the bog standard chat client he's always known.

TAVROS: So, um, what are you doing, precisely,,  
JAKE: Doing my bit to keep abreast of all these goings on.

Jake boots up the app, signing in with the same username and password he's used all his life, but equally hasn't used in nearly a lifetime. The old UI and alert sounds hit with a powerful blast of nostalgia that leaves him wistful for the bygone days of his youth. He shakes himself out of it, though. He's on a mission. Jake scrolls down his chumroll, passing by names and faces he hasn't thought of as chums in a long long time, until he reaches his desired contact.

\-- golgothasTerror [GT] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 17:12 –-  
GT: Johnnyboy what in the blue fuck is happening?  
EB: heh heh, hi jake.  
EB: i guess everything's already made the news?  
GT: And then some! Why youre an overnight revolutionary figurehead!  
EB: i mean, i did just destroy a large portion of jane's private property and am currently flying several thousand feet in the air to evade detection.  
GT: Gee whiz youre sure in the thick of it from what it sounds like!  
EB: pretty much, yeah.  
GT: Are you harmed?  
EB: no, not really.  
EB: unless you count scratched car paint work :P.  
GT: I venture not.  
EB: i mean, i think harry anderson's a little shaken up by it all.  
GT: Your boys with you?  
EB: uh, yeah.  
EB: we were out on a father son bonding drive when all this kind of just happened.  
GT: Well what a marvel that youre back in touch with your young lad.  
EB: i guess? i mean, i'm really happy i get a second chance with harry, but  
EB: right now i'm kind of more focused on dodging the government???  
EB: speaking of which, is this line secure?  
GT: I surmise so? Tavvys phone has quite the track covering software on it.  
EB: thank fuck, not that we can be easily traced from up here.  
GT: So just to be clear this IS your clear mission statement of revolution?  
EB: ...that is you asking that, right?  
GT: John my good man of course it is me asking that! You think any fed on the planet could possibly weekend at bernies my typing quirks?  
EB: i suppose not. you can't be too careful.  
GT: Spoken like a true rebel. ;)  
EB: what about you? are you guys safe?  
GT: So far completely unbothered, but i fear it wont be for much longer.  
GT: You know how jane can get when shes spurned.  
GT: But im keeping the faith regardless.  
EB: good. that might literally be the only thing keeping you alive.  
GT: So what is it that youre doing now?  
EB: harry got in touch with rose and kanaya through vriska. he's letting them know about our, um, situation.  
EB: hopefully in the next few hours we'll have a point of contact with the revolution.  
GT: It sure does all move pretty fast.  
EB: well, i AM kind of really high profile here.  
GT: True. Egbert and son, renegades dodging the law. Its all very hollywood i must say.  
EB: jake, there's people that are dying.  
GT: I am aware john but best to pool our focuses on the living eh?  
EB: i guess.  
EB: oh! i need to ask you something real quick, too.  
GT: Fire away my good man.  
EB: have you heard from roxy recently?  
GT: No?  
GT: We havent conversed since i arranged the meeting twixt the pair of you.  
GT: Something up?  
EB: i tried to get in touch with her to let her know that harry's ok, but i can't get hold of her.  
EB: it's like she's gone off the radar completely.  
GT: Some kind of void magic?  
EB: i don't know. she'd never leave harry like that.  
GT: Well this certainly is a conundrum.  
GT: Ill try reaching her but if shes not answering her own boy im unsure as to how much help ill be.  
EB: thanks, anyway.  
EB: and, uh, sorry about dragging you into this.  
GT: No need! Its high time i attempted to rectify some of the harm ive caused to this poor world beyond a good session with the bottle.  
EB: what was that last part?  
EB: jake, tell me you're not drinking.  
GT: Sober as a whistle john! Ive kicked the emergent habit for good this time!  
EB: if you say so.  
EB: anyway, i guess i should also warn you.  
EB: jane will almost certainly send people to my house sooner or later, and you should be prepared for that.  
EB: once we get in touch with the rebels, i'll try and negotiate a spot for the two of you, but if for whatever reason that can't happen, take care.  
GT: Certainly. And you too.  
EB: gotta go. need to keep this line open for the rebels, and texting while driving is probably a bad idea.  
EB: stay safe.  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] is now offline! --

TAVROS: So,,,?

Jake stands straight and lets a surefire determined smile worm its way onto his face.

JAKE: Tavros boy i believe were in the money.  
JAKE: The egberts have officially gone rogue.  
TAVROS: Oh,, and?  
JAKE: That means its officially time to lob our own hats in the ring of revolution.  
JAKE: The time for wallowing in this doom and gloom reality is over.  
JAKE: From this moment forward we are bonafide rebels.  
TAVROS: But,,,, um,, are we not,, wanted figureheads,, in several nations,  
JAKE: Pish posh lad! John and harry are top class. Theyll bring vantas and his cohorts around.  
JAKE: Nothing like a good eff you to the establishment like your former lapdogs biting the hand eh?  
JAKE: For once things are genuinely looking upwards for good ol jake and tavvy!  
TAVROS: I, well,,, if that's what you say,,  
JAKE: Trust me. This is where things get better. :)  
TAVROS: Hm,,,,,,,

Tavros's voice is thick with hesitance, and when Jake spreads his arms for a hug, he backs up against the fridge. But behind his glasses his eyes are wide, and something is sinking in. Something that's not been there for a very, very long time.

Somewhere not too far away, a volley of bombs blasts an ugly wound on the surface of Earth C, but Jake doesn't even notice it. Despite it all, for the first time ever, Tavros Crocker is not outright rejecting the hope of circumstantial amelioration.

He wants to believe. And that's the victory right there.

viii.

The trolls have reclaimed Outglut^2. That's the statement flushing across all the media channels like a wretched rash, a fire spreading faster than it can be extinguished. Jane Crocker stands on the bridge of Battleship Crockercorp and stares out of the window, clutching her phone in her hand hard enough to crack the screen. She has never been so outright furious in her entire life.

JANE: This should not have been.  
JANE: Explain to me, if you kindly could, why this happened.  
COMMANDER: Madam Crocker, I'm so sorry, but the trolls had a concealed artillery cache we couldn't account for, and—  
JANE: Hush. I do not want to hear your excuses.

Jane raises a hand that only does not tremble through sheer will alone. The commander, some faceless guy who looks as two-dimensional as he sounds, shrinks away. He's perhaps _the_ top brass in the Earth C military, but even he knows who the real alpha in the room is.

JANE: What I want to hear is how you're going to _guarantee_ this never happens again.  
JANE: This could almost constitute a failure, an outcome which you understand is undesirable for an entire slew of reasons.  
COMMANDER: Absolutely ma'am, yes ma'am.  
COMMANDER: Plans are already being drafted to re-secure Outglut^2, ma'am.  
JANE: That's what I like to hear.  
JANE: Now run along and ensure we have no more hiccups in this operation, if you could.  
COMMANDER: Of course, ma'am.

He salutes her then scuttles out of the room like a dog whose tail you just stood on. Once she's alone, Jane lets out a heavy groan and massages her temple. She looks down at her media feed again and bites back the urge to alchemise a fresh dose of aspirin.

The trolls are looting and burning all Crockercorp iconography in the city's downtown district, and handing out stolen stock among their ranks without a care for things like the law and intellectual property violations. She would so like to sue those insects, were it not for the fact that trolls haven't had the right to stand trial in court for three years now. Maybe she could prop up another propaganda mock trial show to put them in their place, and then summarily execute them. What was that one anime Dirk used to like again? Jane pops her tongue. She'll have to consult the archives before moving forward with that idea.

Human social media remains just barely oblivious of the goings-on, but Jane knows the backdoor networks. They'll be talking about it come the morning. This is shaping up to be quite the inconvenient conundrum, and not how she wanted the opening act of this little contracted skirmish to play out. She'll never admit it, but grudgingly she considers that maybe, just maybe, she underestimated what Vantas is capable of.

She's still scrolling through the hashtag movement kicking off on carapace networks (those of Dersite descent are really showing their uncivil roots this evening, it seems) when the news feed refreshes with a new developing story. There's been some kind of disturbance in NuSeattle, resulting in the destruction of corporate property. From the looks of things, a car exploded or something? It's hard to tell. Whoever reported this is pretty shoddy.

Jane turns and power walks down to the command terminals below her personal platform. Her best intelligence officers and wiretappers are working full-throttle to keep the narrative ticked firmly in her favour. She walks up to the nearest one and taps her on the shoulder.

TECHNICIAN: ma'am?  
JANE: I need eyes on NuSeattle. Seems there's a developing incident I need to be kept abreast of.  
TECHNICIAN: at once, ma'am.

Jane lets out a breath. NuSeattle's the nearest city to her personal gated community, and is where Roxy and her son moved to following a less-than-amicable departure. Something flips in her stomach that hasn't in a long time. Jane's been forced to accept that all her old bridges are long since burned, but a part of her begs to any listening cosmic entity that Roxy is uninvolved. Despite it all, she'd hate to drag her oldest friend through all this bother.

The technician works away through the various database and surveillance networks Crockercorp has set up over the planet. She's one of the longest-serving members of Jane's outfit, and yet even she feels as bland and ephemeral as everything else. Jane wonders if perhaps the stress of it all is getting to her. Maybe she ought to book a bought of therapy.

TECHNICIAN: here we are, ma'am.  
TECHNICIAN: disturbance reported in nuseattle at seventeen hundred hours local time. couple million in estimated damages.  
TECHNICIAN: surveillance drones got destroyed before we could cache the footage, but if i can get into the smart car recording logs...

She traces the vehicle ID numbers logged in the area at the time and eventually pulls up an intercepted camera recording from an SUV only a few feet from the incident. The quality's grainy, as is the case for rudimentary private automobile bugs, but it's enough for Jane to see an off-white sedan accosted by a pair of mobile surveillance drones. Something about the make and model of the car pings a twinge of familiarity in her brain that she's still mulling over when a blast of solid blue energy erupts out of the sedan's windows, knocking the car's signal dead.

JANE: ...

She has a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.

JANE: Replay the footage. Try and get a better lock on the driver's face.  
TECHNICIAN: on it, ma'am.

She rewinds the tape to the instance before the explosion, slowly zooming in. In another tab, she starts running the video enhancing software, even though she could simply alchemise an upscaler. She's old fashioned like that. It might be why Jane's kept her around for so long.

TECHNICIAN: there we go... there we go...  
TECHNICIAN: done. i'll log the face through the database and see if we can get...  
TECHNICIAN: a...  
TECHNICIAN: oh fuck.

The technician goes silent as she stares at the blown-up face of the man on the screen with a rapidly-dawning realisation. Jane figured it out much earlier, but she had to have the confirmation. Had to know for certain this betrayal is real. She folds her arms, drumming her pristine nails against the fabric of her perfectly-pressed powersuit. Her blood steadily goes cold.

JANE: Well, it seems that one Mr Egbert has finally shown his true colours.  
JANE: I always knew you could never count on that man to make the right decision.  
TECHNICIAN: still, ma'am, the heir of breath openly defecting to the rebel cause, it's...  
JANE: It's something we can contain. Is it just him?

She prays to hear the word yes.

TECHNICIAN: well, no.

Jane's mouth remains in a flat line.

JANE: And what does that mean?  
TECHNICIAN: there was one other passenger in the vehicle. adolescent male. identified as one harry anderson egbert.

She points to the young face painted with naked fear situated next to John. Jane already starts running the potential narrative spins in her head. Is there enough reluctance on the boy's face to make him a victim? Or should she just give up the ghost and tar the son with the same brush as the father? The Human Kingdom gets a little funny when she vilifies youths, so she'll have to play her cards carefully. But more than that...

JANE: Did either of them have contact with outside parties?  
TECHNICIAN: running a trace on egbert's phone now, ma'am.  
TECHNICIAN: three communication channels were opened, ma'am. one phone call, one text message chain, and one pesterlog.  
JANE: And the recipients?  
TECHNICIAN: first was the phone call, made to an address about three miles out. registered to one roxy lalonde.

Jane feels something bow in her brain, dangerously close to snapping. She's endured so much and sacrificed so many, but not Roxy. Never Roxy.

JANE: I want a visual on the address. Trace Roxy Lalonde's whereabouts.  
TECHNICIAN: roger, ma'am.

Jane's voice isn't steady. Her legs feel less sturdy, and her vision blurs a little as the technician hones in on Roxy's address. She doesn't know what she actually wants to see, which would be worse. Roxy the collaborator, or Roxy the rebel. Either way, she'll be part of all this now, the last person left that Jane has a scrap of compassion for.

TECHNICIAN: footage online, ma'am.  
TECHNICIAN: there's, uh,  
TECHNICIAN: no trace.  
JANE: ...  
JANE: What?

She is calm. She is the leader of a warfront. She cannot bend, not now. Cannot be shocked by anything.

TECHNICIAN: records are fuzzy for some reason, but by all accounts, lalonde went off the grid seventeen minutes after egbert and son departed the residence.  
TECHNICIAN: some of our sensors are picking up a call made to the address, but it appears pretty untraceable.  
TECHNICIAN: then, at four thirteen pm... this.

The wallcam has a solid, if not perfect shot of Roxy in her living room. She seems to be applying makeup in front of the mirror when she abruptly stops and picks up her phone. Then, all at once, there's a blackout that lasts for precisely eleven minutes, eleven seconds. When the picture returns, there's no sign of Roxy anywhere.

JANE: ...Shit.  
JANE: Check the intelligence networks. Cross-reference the insurgency cells for _any_ mention of the Rogue of Void.

At the very least there's no outward evidence of sedition. But that opens up the possibility of abduction. Roxy's a strong woman, but she's still only one god among many. However, with the advent of this battle, and with her husband and son turning tail... Jane has a very bad feeling.

TECHNICIAN: nothing in weeks.  
TECHNICIAN: got a hit from that one juggalo death cult back in march, but they were espousing the termination of all gods and haven't done anything.  
JANE: Are you certain?  
TECHNICIAN: positive, ma'am. the rogue of void isn't on anybody's radar.  
JANE: Make it a priority to track her down. We cannot have her crossing over to the enemy's cause.  
TECHNICIAN: i'll send out the order now, ma'am.

Jane takes a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose. Nothing about today is going well at all. That's two neutral parties now potentially working against her. It bodes ill.

JANE: What about Egbert's other communication attempts?  
TECHNICIAN: right, yes, ma'am. we have record of text messages being sent to one 'vrissy', whom we assume to be vriska maryam-lalonde, daughter of the sylph of space and seer of light.  
TECHNICIAN: the messages are encrypted using the rebellion's internal cypher. it'll take sometime to crack 'em.  
TECHNICIAN: we assume these messages are setting up a rendezvous with the rebels, but the car's gps is being masked, so for now it's a dead end.  
JANE: Darn it. Think you can block the masking signal?  
TECHNICIAN: it's on a grub-based subroutine, so it could be live-patched at any time, but if egbert remains stationary long enough, possibly.  
JANE: Get on that, too.  
TECHNICIAN: yes, ma'am.  
TECHNICIAN: the final communication was made through the pesterchum app using a backdoor proxy server.  
JANE: Can we get into that one?  
TECHNICIAN: yes. it's a slow process, but with time, we'll have the entire pesterlog available to us.  
JANE: What do you have so far?  
TECHNICIAN: this.

The technician opens up another file, showing an in-process decryption of a rather lengthy-looking pesterlog. Jane is confronted with a slowly-growing wall of green and blue text. She clenches her jaw.

TECHNICIAN: users ectobiologist and golgothasterror entered into a private pesterchum correspondance.  
TECHNICIAN: from what we can surmise, ectobiologist sent golgothasterror an advanced warning about his actions.  
TECHNICIAN: curiously enough, though, golgothasterror was the one to open the communication channel.

Now that throws Jane for a loop. Jake, capable of making any kind of decision off his own back? Not likely. He didn't even have it in him to terminate their miserable wretch of a marriage.

JANE: I want eyes on John Egbert's residence.  
TECHNICIAN: of course, ma'am.

She flips another button, and the empty shot of Roxy's house is replaced with a much clearer view of John Egbert's kitchen. Jake Crocker (or has the buffoon gone back to calling himself English again?) is standing over a stovetop, cooking what appears to be an omelette. Sitting at the dining table is Jane's snivelling excuse for a son. Tavros is nervously scrolling through a newly-alchemised phone, looking about as reedy and useless as ever. Jane sighs. She only bothered with that whelp for so long on Gamzee's infuriating insistence that there was some potential there. But well. Now that she's clown-divorced (how do blackrom marriages even work?) there's nothing left forcing her to care.

JANE: Check the other rooms. I want to be certain they're alone.  
TECHNICIAN: on it.  
TECHNICIAN: the other rooms are clear. the alchemiter on the balcony was used in the last forty-eight hours to alchemise a smartphone, likely the one in use by the adolescent male.  
TECHNICIAN: only the two of them are on the premises, ma'am.  
JANE: Hm.

So then why on earth did Jake contact John? None of John's actions have made the televised news yet, and neither Jake nor Tavros have the guts or the know how to look further afield for information. Something's up.

JANE: I may have to pay my dear ex-husband and ex-son a visit in the near future.  
JANE: Keep an eye on them. There could be something more.  
TECHNICIAN: at once, ma  
TECHNICIAN: !!!

The technician pauses, flinching back. All the screens in the room suddenly start blaring out a loud warning siren. Jane stiffens her spine.

JANE: What is this?  
TECHNICIAN: someone's trying to bruteforce a communication link, ma'am.  
TECHNICIAN: we're tracing the signal, it—  
TECHNICIAN: it's coming from the city below, ma'am.  
JANE: Ah.

So this is it. The rebels have finally deigned to engage in a dialogue with Crockercorp after so long running around in tunnels and committing ceaseless acts of terrorism. No doubt some pitiful extension of an olive branch by Karkat Vantas. Jane cracks a smile. She's been waiting for this moment for a while.

JANE: Patch them through. I think it's time I had a chat with the opposition.  
TECHNICIAN: roger.

The technician works on opening the channel as Jane crosses over to the middle of the room, standing before the massive wall-mounted screen she uses for official press briefings. She clears her throat, straightens her tie, and squares her legs and shoulders in the confident power stance of the politically wealthy.

TECHNICIAN: ready in three... two...

Jane smooths her expression. There's a soft click, a burst of static, and then the face of rebel commander Karkat Vantas is blown up in ultra-clear definition. The years have not been kind to him; he's grizzled and dirty-looking and missing an eye. He reminds Jane of the guerilla insurgents she used to learn about in her high school history class, back on Old Earth. He looks like a threat to democracy.

KARKAT: ATTENTION, JANE CROCKER.  
KARKAT: WE, THE PEOPLE, HAVE RECLAIMED OUR PROUD CITY OF OUTGLUT^2.  
KARKAT: WE COME TO YOU WITH A LIST OF DEMANDS.  
KARKAT: YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAW ALL PRIVATE HUMAN MILITIAS FROM THIS CITY.  
KARKAT: YOUR CORPORATE-OWNED SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO OPERATE WITHIN THIS CITY, AND HAVE THEIR WEALTH REDISTRUBUTED IMMEDIATELY.  
KARKAT: YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE THE ENFORCEMENT OF UNJUST LEGAL SANCTIONS ON THE TROLL RACE, INCLUDING TAXATION, HOUSING, AND CURFEW LAWS.  
KARKAT: YOU WILL RECOGNISE OUTGLUT^2 AS A SOVEREIGN, AUTONOMOUS REGION AND YOU WILL NOT IMPEDE ON THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION.  
KARKAT: YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY RELEASE ALL DETAINED TROLLS WHO WERE TAKEN FROM THESE STREETS, AND YOU WILL CEASE THE INCARCERATION OF OUR PEOPLE.  
KARKAT: IF YOU DO NOT CONSENT, WE WILL SECURE WHAT IS OURS BY FORCE.  
KARKAT: DO YOU AGREE TO OUR TERMS?  
JANE: Hoo hoo, Mr Vantas! You sure are spouting a lot of hot air there! :B  
KARKAT: DO YOU AGREE TO OUR TERMS? YES OR NO.  
JANE: Why, how could I possibly submit to an illegal military insurrection on Earth C's own soil!  
JANE: In fact, I'm of a mind to issue _you_ with a demand!  
JANE: Return this city to its rightful authorities, and we will let you go peacefully.  
JANE: If you continue to resist and disrupt the peace, we will have no choice but to retaliate with the full extent of the law.

There's a beat of silence between the two opposing leaders, neither wanting to be the one who blinks first. Karkat snarls. Jane slaps on her patented Baroness Crocker smile. She's not worried. Not by this amateur little display.

KARKAT: YOU SEEM TO BE UNDER THE FALSE ASSUMPTION YOU HAVE ANY GROUND TO STAND ON.  
KARKAT: THIS BATTLE IS OURS, JUST AS ALL FUTURE FIGHTS IN THIS WAR WILL BE.  
KARKAT: YOU DON'T GET TO NEGOTIATE.  
KARKAT: EITHER MEET OUR DEMANDS, OR WE WILL FORCE YOU TO.  
KARKAT: THE OUTCOME IS THE SAME.  
KARKAT: I'M JUST OFFERING YOU A COURTESY.

He tweaks his eyepatch once he's done, affecting disinterest as he waits for Jane's move. He sure is full of hot air for the most wanted man on the planet.

JANE: This is not a fight you can hope to win, Mr Vantas.  
JANE: Tell me, how many number in your ranks? How much money do you have behind you?  
JANE: All this stunt will result in is your hands being stained with the blood of your own kind.  
JANE: So no, I categorically refuse to further this nonsense agenda.  
JANE: Do you have anything meaningful to say, or may I get back to my business?

At that last bit, Karkat starts smiling. It's unnerving, seeing a grey face full of fangs blown up that huge. Jane blinks, feeling a little thrown off. This is not what he's meant to do.

She quickly recovers lost ground, though.

JANE: Something amusing?  
KARKAT: OH, YOU REALLY HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA.

And the first F-bomb goes to Vantas, as she expected it would. A vulgar movement led by a vulgar man. And yet...

JANE: No idea about what?  
KARKAT: COUNT YOUR ALLIES, CROCKER.  
KARKAT: COUNT THE PUBLIC MEMBERS OF YOUR CAMP.

Outwardly, Jane doesn't react. Inwardly, she does a mental headcount. For the cameras, she has her husband, her son, and her kismesis, alongside her lifelong politically-neutral friend residing in her gated community. She has her investment lobbies, her subsidiary companies she pretends are autonomous, the president of Earth C...

KARKAT: BECAUSE I THINK YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF A CLOWN SHORT.

Jane pauses. He surely can't... It's been less than a day since she expelled Gamzee from her ship, and to be honest, she's not sure she's actually wholly committed to the idea. Despite everything she hated about him, at least Gamzee was a tangible person. But if Gamzee for once in his fucking life took something personally and decided to turn to the other side...

She knows what Gamzee is capable of. She wouldn't wish fighting him on her worst enemies.

JANE: Forgive me, but I don't understand.  
MEENAH: oh i think youll understand this tho B---EACH

Jane is interrupted by the camera abruptly panning away from Karkat to reveal a taller troll with braids standing a few feet in the background. She's decked to the nines in military fatigues, but seems to wield a 2x3dent in place of any actual artillery. A ring of life glints on her finger, preserving Meenah Peixes in a permanent state of being. She grins, baring her sharp teeth like a hungry shark on the sniff for blood. Jane feels a twinge of phantom pain around her throat from the memory of the last encounter she had with a fuchsiablood troll.

MEENAH: waterup batterbitch  
JANE: And you must be Ms Peixes! Of course Mr Vantas wouldn't go far without his constant companion.  
MEENAH: that meant to be a threat or somefin  
MEENAH: cause damn that fuckin sucks  
MEENAH: you wanna sea a R-E-EL threat well...  
MEENAH: take a look at this

Meenah steps way from the camera, snarling almost ferociously. Behind her is a vague lump that the camera refuses to focus on for a long time. Jane leans in, squinting a little to try and make it clear, but it does little to help. She's about to switch the whole thing off when it comes into focus, sharply and abruptly.

Gamzee's mutilated corpse, laying sprawled across the ground. He's battered and burnt and bruised and his limbs are snapped in every possible direction to the point where it's hard to tell one part of him from another. Most pressingly, or most stupidly, Jane notices that his omnipresent codpiece is no longer part of his cadaver's ensemble.

JANE: Oh my...  
JANE: That's...  
JANE: He can't...

Gamzee was a lot of thing to a lot of people, but dead was never one of them. Not even as a hypothetical possibility. Jane always had the sense that fetid clown would linger long after everyone else is dead and buried, long past even the heat death of the universe. So to see this, it... it throws her for a loop. Just a little.

JANE: WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM????  
MEENAH: krilled him DUH  
MEENAH: like dam this juggaloser is SO glubbin dead it aint even funny  
KARKAT: THAT'S RIGHT.

Karkat returns to the shot. He stands next to Gamzee's body, but his face is wrinkled up in disgust and he gradually shuffles further away from him and the actual visible stink cloud Gamzee's corpse emits. Oh, how Jane loved to loathe that stench.

KARKAT: WE, THE RESISTANCE, HAVE NEUTRALISED CLASS TRAITOR, CULT LEADER, AND SECOND-MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUAL ON EARTH C, GAMZEE MAKARA.  
KARKAT: FOR THAT, YOU'RE FUCKING WELCOME.  
KARKAT: A WORLD WITHOUT HIM IS MORE THAN YOU DESERVE, CROCKER.

He's still smiling, still fucking gloating like he hasn't thrown the ugliest wrench in Jane's already fragile world.

KARKAT: A WORLD THAT IS CURRENTLY WATCHING THIS LIVE BROADCAST SYNDICATED TO ALL FOUR HIJACKED EARTH C NEWS NETWORKS.  
JANE: Y  
JANE: You

Jane's face falls. Foolishly, she spins around, hoping beyond hope that he's lying. But one look from her senior technician tells her that no, Karkat Vantas is telling the truth. The world now knows that Gamzee was assassinated by the rebellion, and they all saw Jane have a meltdown over it.

KARKAT: SEE HERE, EVERYONE! *THIS* IS THE FACE OF YOUR CORPORATE OVERLORD!  
KARKAT: SEE THE WOMAN WHO SENT HER OWN KISMESIS TO DIE, WHO HAS NO CONTROL OVER HER EMPIRE.  
KARKAT: HER POWER IS AN ILLUSION GROWING WEAKER BY THE HOUR.  
KARKAT: CROCKERCORP'S DAYS ARE NUMBERED. WE WILL PREVAIL.  
JANE: I, I think the fuck not, you skittering wretches!

She's just dropping anti-troll slurs on live television now, but she can't find it in herself to give a shit. The rebels take and take and take from her, throw the world she knows and loves into utter ruin, and laugh about it. She has, quite frankly, had enough.

KARKAT: WE WILL ENSURE OUR PEOPLE'S LIBERATION, AND YOU WILL NOT STOP US.  
KARKAT: WE GAVE YOU THE OPTION TO PURSUE THE PEACEFUL PATH, AND YOU REFUSED IT.  
KARKAT: EVACUATE YOUR PEOPLE FROM THE CITY OR WE WILL RECLAIM OUR HOME THROUGH FORCE.  
KARKAT: YOU HAVE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.  
JANE: Hey, no, don't you dare switch off—

But Karkat Vantas does dare switch off. There's a wave of static then the picture cuts out. Jane is left alone on the deck of her ship, vibrating with a barely-contained fury. Taunting her is one thing, executing poor innocent Gamzee another, but to tarnish her good image in the media? A line has been crossed tonight.

JANE: Commander, get over here.

The commander emerges from whatever hole he hid himself in, approaching her with the appropriate levels of caution. Of course, him being human means there's little Jane can actually do to him, but she likes to keep them keen with a little healthy fear.

COMMANDER: Madam Crocker.  
COMMANDER: None of us were expecting Vantas to so brazenly—  
JANE: Enough drivel.

She raises a hand, suddenly feeling a wash of cold, clinical calm. An idea sits in her head, shining as a single point of inevitability. Funnily enough, this broadcast has made things a lot more simple.

JANE: I didn't summon you for suggestions.  
JANE: I summoned you to issue a single direct order.  
COMMANDER: Ma'am?

The commander looks nervous. As he should.

JANE: Let it be known that the first low blow of this war was thrown by Karkat Vantas.  
JANE: I am simply acting in retaliation to such a heinous deception.  
COMMANDER: I'm not following.

So slow. So simple. All of them are, in the end.

Jane marches to the upper deck, commander in tow. She stops before the window, and motions to the city below, lights starting to flicker into being as dusk deepens its grip on the continent. The dying light bathes her face in obscure and harsh shadows. In this moment, she feels gigantic.

JANE: Down there, those trolls are revelling in their victory. Their reclaimed city, their humiliation of _me_.  
JANE: So secure that I will fail in my attempts to regain control over that putrid city.  
JANE: And maybe I would have tried, before Vantas struck below the belt.  
JANE: Believe me, this tragedy is all his doing.  
JANE: They could have been so safe in their city, truly.  
JANE: And then he played dirty.  
COMMANDER: Wh...what are you saying, ma'am?

Jane extends her arms out until the entire city is within her grasp. Matchsticks and candles before the fist of a titan. Her face is a study in stone. On the inside, she is electric.

JANE: If he wants to play dirty, well... I'm left with no choice.  
JANE: Burn it all down.


	3. (one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: Depictions of warfare, including militarized violence and weapons of mass destruction (section 1, section 4). Prisons, police brutality, gun violence (section 2).
> 
> CURRENT CHAPTER STATUS: 4/4 SECTIONS COMPLETE.
> 
> Hi. Pulling back from the oversized narrative fold to clarify some things going on with the story's scaffolding. Obviously you'll notice that unlike the previous chapter, here we're only initially graced with the one section. This is not all there is, though. Given that this fic has an absolutely absurd scope, expecting you to wait upwards of over a month between mega-installments of more than 20,000 words is not an unsustainable way to present this content, but also puts an unsustainable amount of pressure on me to deliver half a novel every four weeks. The solution is instead to periodically update the megachapters with each individual section on a more regular basis. I can't provide you with 20,000 words every two weeks, but I *CAN* provide you with between 5000 and 7000 words every two weeks instead. Think of each "chapter" in this fic functioning as the "epilogue" headers did in the epilogues proper (ie a dozen or so chapters grouped under one narrative framework), seeing frequent micro-updates to keep the content machine more closely aligned to a state that can be called being alive. 
> 
> The only downside to this choice is that AO3 won't alert you every time I update an existing chapter, so you'll have to rely on my social media channels to inform you when they go live. Failing that, you can obsessively check each chapter until more drops (not recommended) or not check at all and move on to the next chapter having only seen maybe 10% of the narrative (super not recommended). Update notifications will be sent out on [Tumblr,](https://pochapal.tumblr.com/) [Twitter,](https://twitter.com/Pochapal) and [Mastodon,](https://mstdn.social/@Pochapal) so click through to your social platform of choice to follow me and get informed in a timely manner. Or don't! It's your call. 
> 
> If you're unsure of just how much content is to come, each chapter will have a temporary status notification just below the content warnings informing you precisely how many sections are due. This chapter, for example, will feature four sections, so you'll be (hopefully) coming back here three more times yet. Other than that, I think we're good to go. If anything isn't clear, please let me know!
> 
> Now, once again I fade away and present you with a narrative rife with intrigue, stakes, and some amount of bullshit.
> 
> -Pochapal

i.

On the official records, the Carapace Kingdom passively endorses the political status quo, and the Consort Kingdom remains untouched and unaffected by current goings-on. Both of those facts are clear and blatant lies, believed only by those privileged enough not to look any further afield than their media channels.

Out in the real world, a young Spirited Corpsman sets a salamander's dislocated tailbone by the edge of a fresh crater spewing out smoky air. The Crocker warships drone-bombed this village a few short hours ago under the guise that the nearby caverns were being used to harbour fugitive trolls. Only problem with that is that there were no trolls in the caverns, and said caverns are nearly fifty miles due south of the village. What took place here was an act of senseless cruelty.

SC grits his teeth as he sets the splint under the bandage, and slots the tail back into its socket with an unsettling _pop_. Immediately the salamander squirms out of his grasp with a quick succession of flailing limbs and oversized bubbles. She wags her tail once, twice, then realises that that's a thing she can do again. A timid smile crosses SC's face.

SC: there you go..  
SALAMANDER: GLUB!!!

He gets an oddly salty tasting bubble to the face as thanks, and then the salamander's scuttling back off to where her home should be, disappearing into the first traces of morning light. A lot of what's officially reported about consorts is factually untrue; they aren't as sophisticated as the denizens of the other three kingdoms when it comes to sociopolitical and economic matters, but that doesn't make them simple animals. They each lead deeply rich and complex lives in their own right. Some of the most charming personalities SC has ever seen have come from his time volunteering as a field medic, working to patch up this forgotten front of the war.

A year or so ago, if you'd walked up to SC and told the Prospitian first-year medical student that this is where life would take him, he would have called it a bunch of nonsense. His life was mapped out quite simply – get his doctorate, and join the crew of a cruise-liner as a Seafaring Clinician until retirement. Funny how fast life changes.

He adjusts the funny little sailor's hat he always likes to wear even in a warzone, and stands to his feet, feeling the way the chitin around his knees pops in a way it shouldn't for decades to come. There are countless micro-fractures and tears in his carapace coming from the time he got caught up in an explosion on, what, his third mission? Carapacians are built to last longer than humans or trolls before age starts to take its toll. He shakes his head as he starts to move down this chewed-up street. SC'll be lucky if he can still walk without any kind of aid before his sixty-forth. He'll be lucky if there'll _be_ any kind of world for him to grow old in.

Behind the scenes, Crockercorp's been slowly and gradually suppressing the Carapace Kingdom vote with every subsequent election cycle, planting more and more human representatives in local seats of power. New Derse hasn't been governed by a carapacian for nearly eight years now. New Prospit barely clings onto what they have only by virtue of the cultural conservatism baked into Prospitian ideology. SC always hated it growing up, and he still thinks nostalgia-mongering bureaucrats should stay as far away from seats of power as possible, but now that that's the last vestige of his cultural identity? He's less certain.

Of course, SC is deeply aware that of all the non-human kingdoms, the Carapace Kingdom got off the lightest. The consorts are all but a puppet state used to artificially manipulate official voting figures, and the Troll Kingdom is under total occupation. The Carapace Kingdom was protected, kind of, by the passive endorsement of the Rogue of Void and Muse of Space, but they were subsumed into the machine long ago. Without an advocate, the Carapace Kingdom follows the highest bidder.

He's so glad he got out. So glad he decided to fight and take a stand where others are too afraid of shaking the status quo. The primary religion in the Carapace Kingdom is the Manifesto of the Warweary Villein, held by a good thirty-two percent of all carapacians, and yet barely any of the devout so much as lifted a finger against the incipient regime their own doctrine condemns. SC was never a believer growing up, but in recent times he's found the texts oddly resonant. His Platoon Leader has the Ectobiological Barcode of legend tattooed onto her arm. He thinks he kind of gets it now.

SC passes through the commercial district of this village. It consists of a rough ring of brightly-coloured huts to symbolise the goods and services within. Half of them are usually symbolic trading of old Skaian abstractions, and the rest constitute a kind of partitioned farmer's market where each hut deals in incredibly specific types of crops. This is a standard salamander village, so there should be anywhere between eight and twelve huts. Instead, what SC sees is a circle of collapsed, burning ruins and deep craters in the ground. The only building left standing is a fraymotif shop, currently repurposed to serve as an emergency medical centre. Outside it is a series of pop-up black and white tents. That's where the Carapacian Aid Network does the more sombre work.

He slips inside the closest tent as the ground rumbles with the sound of distant aircraft. This is their main base of operations and also the carapacian medic tent. A dozen beds are spread across the floor. Thankfully, only two are occupied. Two Dersite comrades, bandaged up and resting. SC breathes a small sigh of relief. He lives in fear of the day his group experiences its first major loss. Thank god that day is not today.

At the back of the tent is a large table stocked with a map of the region and a radio interceptor. Platoon Leader, a tall Prospitian woman, leans over the table, studying a couple of documents with a furrowed brow. Her headscarf is draped on loosely, and one sleeve is rolled up to show her tattoo. SC draws a little closer, then clears his throat.

SC: platoon leader,, reporting in..

PL lifts her head. Her expression softens.

PL: [SC. Glad to see you back in one piece.]

SC winces a little as she speaks. PL was born without the ability to use her vocal chords, so she communicates pretty exclusively through the exile telepathy unique to the carapacian race. It's pretty rare to see in daily life, so it takes the majority of people a lot of getting used to despite it being an innate evolutionary quirk designed to aid the carapacian people on the Skaian battlefield. Nowadays, it's mostly a tool used by disabled carapacians who, for whatever reason, do not have access to conventional verbal communication. On SC's end, it feels a little like an electric shock to the brain that always threatens a migraine that never comes. He wonders how it would feel to those born without psionic receptors.

PL: [What do you have to report?]  
SC: i attended to all patients in the western ring.. three fatalities to report.. two salamanders,, one crocodile..  
SC: one salamander and the crocodile were identified.. the second salamander was,, well,, in no fit condition to id..

PL steps away from her desk. A heavy frown sets across her face.

PL: [Some day at least one of you will report no fatalities. The universe has to owe us something by now.]

The only problem with exile telepathy, SC thinks, is its propensity to broadcast the speaker's emotional state along with their words. The heavy, thick wad of misery hits SC like a bowling ball to the gut.

SC: i take it i'm the last to report in??  
PL: [Yes. The others all came back fine, if lacking in any good news. RH's preliminary damage survey is grim.]  
PL: [They're in the mess tent. Go catch up with them before you have to fight with the morning shift team for the good stuff.]  
SC: is that all,, pl??  
PL: [Yes. Rest up. It's been a long night, and it'll be another long one tomorrow.]  
SC: well,, thank you..  
PL: [Now run along. I've still got my own work to do.]

SC ducks out the back of the tent as PL fiddles with the radio dial. It's a straight shot to the mess tent, not that you can miss it for the smell. It's the only thing for miles that smells like anything other than gunpowder and blood. In the early light, the makeshift camp is awash in a silent calm.

The inside of the mess tent is about as minimalistic as you can get. Four room-length tables atop a traditional checkerboard floor. At the back of the room is a serving station tended to by an old Dersite man and a couple of overzealous turtle consorts in comically oversized chef hats. Even though it's meant to be a dead hour, there's a pretty hefty queue. The air is heavy with the smell of something curried and spiced.

RH: yo sc! | over here! |  
RH: secured you some grub |

The excited voice of one Record Handler draws SC's attention. The young Dersite is sitting at the end of one table, motioning with one hand to the empty seat beside him. In front of him is a decidedly oversized plate of still-steaming food. Without hesitation, SC makes his way to the side of one of his closest friends.

SC: hey.. :)

SC pulls up a chair and sits next to RH, flashing a smile. RH smiles back, the kind of weary relieved smile one develops working in a combat zone, reserved exclusively for seeing those nearest and dearest to you remain alive and well.

RH: you were out there a while huh |  
RH: run into some kinda trouble? |

SC shakes his head.

SC: no,, just a particularly stubborn salamander..  
SC: fixed her up good in the end,, though..  
RH: thats my guy | always getting the important shit done |  
RH: whereas i | uh | tally up some numbers? |  
SC: hey,, no,, that's important too..  
SC: your data lets me know how to best help people..  
SC: that's the whole point of being a team..

RH pulls his beanie over his face bashfully, waving a hand dismissively.

RH: damn it sc youre gonna make me soft | | |

SC cracks a smile.

SC: you know what would be softer?? you actually giving me some of that clearly excess food you have there..

He points to RH's plate.

RH: oh yeah | got that for you anyway so help yourself |  
SC: haha,, thanks..

As SC leans over to take his helping of the meal, the person sitting across from them starts making exaggerated gagging noises.

AI: **Wow, okay, you two.** **Consider getting a room.**

The Amiable Interpreter narrows her eyes, but her mouth is stretched out in too playful an expression for her to be taken seriously. She cups her face in one hand and drums the fingers of the other against the table. Unlike nearly every other carapace in the CAN, AI sports a grey shell. It's a fairly uncommon carapacian race that only came into being as a kind of ectobiological miracle during the species' 5000 year history on Earth C, but there are theories that similar races played a role in the fabled Skaian dead sessions of ancient Paradox Space. She leaves her head bare, proudly displaying an intricate floral tattoo that runs from the front of her scalp down to the back of her neck.

RH: we get it | youre the hottest and sexiest person here | and youre mad that you cant get any |  
AI: **I'll take the compliment.**

AI then smirks.

AI: **That said, if you're offering.** ;)

RH nearly chokes on what's left of his food. SC bites down a laugh.

RH: hey uh | just so were all absolutely on the same page here | actual for real flirting |  
RH: thats definitely not a thing thats happening here and now | or | or ever |  
RH: like even insinuating that im lusting over my treasured platonic comrades is | like | a complete fabrication |  
AI: **Slander and lies?**  
RH: of the highest magnitude |  
SC: god,, you two..

This banter isn't an unfamiliar sight. RH likes to pretend that he has his shit under control to some kind of desperate extent, while AI likes to tease out the fact that RH is honestly more like an absolute insecure weenie. Both of them also like to dance around the obviously massive juvenile flushcrush they harbour for one another. SC shakes his head and smiles. When they have some downtime, he absolutely has to step up and play matchmaker. He could totally make a great ironic Spousal Counsellor. It would be absolutely hilarious, up until the point where his two friends decide to kill him for it.

AI: **Anyway...**  
AI: **SC, how have you been?**  
SC: pretty good,, yeah..  
SC: everything went mostly well,, and pl seemed happy with me..  
SC: what about you two??

SC begins to eat as AI and RH look at each other a grand total of three times, accompanied by just as many false starts.

AI: **Uh**  
RH: uh |  
AI: **No, you can**  
RH: no you can |  
AI: **...**  
RH: god this is asinine you can go first |  
AI: **Thank you.**

AI leans back a little in her seat, maybe smug at a successful gambit? SC can't say for sure. He can't keep up very well with all these little social games everyone likes to play these days, which is a thought he definitely thinks despite not even pushing thirty yet. Maybe he's always been a little lame and uncool.

AI: **We got through last night's quad-locked linguistic cyphers without much hassle.**  
AI: **Maybe one message was lost?** **But we're fairly convinced it was just another cryptopyramid scheme by an overzealous croc and not in any way an actual cry for help.**  
AI: **Turtle village on the northern seaboard's seeing the first stages of famine, and the jungle border farms are understandably nervous.**  
AI: **All in all, a fairly easy night.** **Hardest part was translating the on the fly Vantas-Crocker broadcast.**  
SC: the what??  
AI: **You don't know?**  
SC: no,, i've been rather busy pretty much since the drone strikes happened,, what,, twelve hours ago now??  
SC: sorry..  
RH: nah its ok well fill you and your dorky little sailor hat in |

RH cracks his knuckles and leans one elbow on the table, looking directly into SC's face.

RH: ok SO |  
RH: about what | ten last night? |  
AI: **Around then, yeah.**  
RH: yeah ten last night |  
RH: we were monitoring the media feeds | as we do |  
RH: when all of the fucking sudden | bam |  
RH: the face of karkat vantas syndicated on every channel worldwide |  
SC: really??  
RH: yeah | course literally nobody anywhere was expecting this | save for maybe those in his inner circle | which is obviously not us |  
RH: he duped crocker into a rare unscripted appearance | then proceeded to blast her on tv for a good twenty minutes |  
SC: holy shit..  
RH: see if it was just some taunts id be whatever with this news | but then vantas goes and pulls out the big guns |

RH spreads his arms and adopts an oddly grim expression.

RH: turns out makara is fucking dead |  
SC:  
SC:  
SC:  
SC: ......WHAT??????

SC feels the floor slip out from under him and gravity wrap around his gut with iron-tough claws. Of course in actuality he remains firmly planted in his seat, but internally he feels like he's stumbling upon a new and exciting kind of psychotic moment.

AI: **Oh yeah, absolutely.** **We verified it a good dozen times over, cross-referencing with every database we've got.**  
AI: **Truly and irrevocably, the rebellion has successfully assassinated the Redemption Pope himself.** **Gamzee Makara is no more.**  
SC: damn..  
SC: just  
SC: damn..  
SC: i'd say i need to sit down,, but  
SC: well  
SC: yeah..  
SC: oof..

SC rests his clenched fists on his knees and focuses very hard on the simple act of breathing, the smell of fresh breakfast, the sound of the morning workers rolling in to start their day. It assuages the dissociative mania he threatens to spill into. Just a little.

RH: yeah well shit gets even crazier than that |  
RH: see youd think thisd be some kinda pubilcity move |  
RH: mutual kinda shockshow to rile up both sides |  
RH: but turns out crocker didnt have a fucking clue my guy |  
RH: so she just | full on loses her shit | on live television |  
RH: talking instaviral batterwitch meltdown compilations popping up faster than the corp can scrub em |  
SC: holy shit??  
AI: **Yep.** **That's what you missed on last night's edition of “absurd revolutionary developments”.**  
SC: damn..  
SC: this...... this changes things going forward,, right?? like,, it HAS to..

AI shrugs.

AI: **Don't know yet.** **Could do, probably will, but it's too soon.**  
AI: **Need to wait and see what happens with Crocker's threats to Outglut^2.**  
RH: you think shell really do it | bomb the city i mean |  
AI: **I...**

She looks off to one side, troubled.

AI: **Before now, I'd say Crockercorp's MO wouldn't allow for something so brazen.** **But the rebellion hit hard and deep with taking out her kismesis.** **She might be unhinged enough to actually murder foreign civilians in broad daylight.**  
AI: **Lot of high up CEOs have been shifting their cryptostock.** **They think they're sly, but the trail is there.** **Thank fuck Earth C's major bank is still handled mostly by over-enthusiastic consorts willing to be totally honest with anyone who's nice to them.**  
RH: pharma companies been pulling out of minor troll cities too | forecast for the kingdom aint looking the hottest |

SC sighs, poking through a particularly solid chunk of sauce with his fork. The food's made using ingredients sourced from a pretty good quality alchemiter, but sometimes he can't help but notice how nongenuine it feels. Like he can taste the perfectly generic object despite the thousand abstractions the core ingredients have gone through.

SC: well,, shit.. any good news at all??  
AI: **The NeoRoyals have lost their polling lead in most Prospitian districts...**  
SC: oh??  
AI: **...Only to be replaced by Crockercorp human plants.**

AI winces. SC winces harder.

AI: **Sorry.** **Seems the world is pretty shit right now.**  
RH: not to go full doomer but when isnt it lmao |  
SC: maybe if we're lucky things'll eventually get better.. rules of averages and stuff,, right??  
RH: maybe |

But nobody really seems to believe it. This is a shitty world on the slow march to revolution against an immortal corporate megagiant. Sometimes SC wonders if, somewhere in the bowels of paradox space, there's a timeline where they make it out okay. Somehow he really doesn't think that's the case.

AI: **At least we have the semi-open defection of the Heir of Breath.** **That's better than nothing.**  
AI: **SC, you were there for that one, right?**  
SC: yeah.. just before i went out..  
SC: i dunno though,, the egberts have been pretty huge fence-sitters so i don't know that the heir of breath will be useful??  
SC: maybe for public morale,, but like,, we're way past the point of optics and resolving things from within the system..  
AI: **I guess we just focus on what we actually can do, as a movement.** **We did our part to save a village from becoming another totally steamrolled war casualty, and that in itself has to be something we hold on t

AI's attempt at a rousing kind of speech pretty quickly falls dead. Everyone in the room is too busy paying attention to the sudden very loud and very threatening rumble that shakes through the thin walls of the mess tent. SC swivels his head around nervously, and struggles to be heard over the rattle of displaced cutlery.

SC: hey,, that sounds like  
RH: oh shit shit FUCK |

RH stands to his feet abruptly enough that his chair goes flying. He's pulled out his phone, which is rapidfire buzzing with comms notifications.

RH: its the sensors | all of them |  
AI: **What is it?**  
RH: theyre all saying that | i dont fucking believe this but |  
RH: every sensor in a five mile radius all at once pinged a single huge scorcher class crockercorp craft right above us |  
AI: **Oh.**

SC feels himself go cold. He rises to his feet on autopilot, reaching into his waistband for his standard-issue firearm that he knows is useless in this kind of scenario.

AI: **But how on earth did it manage to  
PL: [THIS IS A PROTOCOL ZERO. ALL CAPABLE FIGHTERS TO REPORT TO THE MUNITIONS EQUIPPER IMMEDIATELY.]

PL's psychic voice blasts through the minds of everyone in the village loud enough that for a good couple seconds SC's vision totally blanks out. When he comes to, he sees his two friends looking around with rapidly mounting despair on their faces.

SC: a protocol zero??  
AI: **No way.**  
RH: no it | it cant |

They all know the battle protocols by heart. A ten-step scale with a number that shrinks according to how much priority should be given to assisting bystanders. A one is abandon all civilians. A zero is as good as every person for themselves. The Crockercorp ship up there isn't preparing for a fight. It's readying itself for a total demolition.

AI pulls on both SC and RH's uniforms.

AI: **Come on, we should go.** **I know the girl running the weapons dispensary this morning – we can get better equipped but we need to leave now.**

It's all so sudden. SC feels washed up and floaty, like he's witnessing everything in slow motion behind a barrier of cotton. The screen on the wall has switched over to show aerial footage of perhaps the largest Crocker ship he's ever seen hovering over their exact location. His brain pulses oddly, like if he blinks hard enough this'll all be gone with. But he does blink and this all remains desperately real.

SC: ok,, yeah,, yeah we should  
PL: [SC, RH, AI. REMAIN IN YOUR PRESENT LOCATION. I HAVE DIRECT ORDERS FOR THE THREE OF YOU.]

RH's frown deepens. Outside, SC stars to hear the shrill groan of sirens, the panicked cries of consorts, and the first terrible notes of artillery fire.

RH: god what the fuck is this |  
RH: were all gonna die arent we |  
AI: **I don't know.** **I don't even know what's happening.**  
SC: ......

SC looks on as the mess tent empties itself of every other person. Even the Nutrient Provider himself and his assistants make haste out the exit. In less than two minutes, it's just the three carapaces, white, black, and grey, left standing there amid a desolate field of skewed tables and abandoned meals that still puff up wisps of steam.

A wall at the back of the tent lifts up as PL slips inside. She's in full battle gear, armed to the teeth, and looking grimmer than SC has ever seen her.

AI: **What's going on?**

AI balls her hands into fists as PL approaches, trying and failing to regulate her breathing.

PL: [We don't know. Somehow the Crocker ship slipped under all our detection tech. And there's no time to puzzle the how or the why.]  
PL: [What we do know is that we may have stumbled onto something more serious than anything we've handled yet. Apparently enough that one of the Corp's best scorchers has been deployed just for our little operation.]  
AI: **You think the cavern rumours were true after all?**  
PL: [Negative. We don't know _what_ they want. All we know is this was a direct issue from Baroness Crocker herself given out in the last half hour.]  
RH: and it got here that quickly | some kind of mass transportalizer? |

PL shakes her head.

PL: [Transportalizer, psionics, hell, even fucking god tier powers. Doesn't matter.]  
SC: ok,, so,, what does??

PL produces a sheet of paper.

PL: [This.]

She slams it down on the table, shoving SC's plate to the side with enough force that it shatters against the ground. The sound is almost swallowed up by a sudden volley of detonations.

AI peers over the table, scrutinising the paper with a heavy expression.

AI: **These are... scrambled coordinates?**  
PL: [We received them from an unknown frequency thirty-nine minutes ago. No traceback, no lexical quirk, nothing to identify it.]  
RH: so what | this a human kingdom trojan sleeper message? |  
PL: [No. This isn't human codex.]  
PL: [And Crockercorp received an identical transmission at the exact same moment as us. I'd wager it was sent out to every top-frequency radio on the planet.]  
SC: so where do they point to?? a rendezvous??  
PL: [No information was given other than the base code, so we can't say.]  
AI: **So why trust this at all?**  
PL: [Because of what the cypher decodes the data to. None of our tech had a match with it, but our Exegesis Extractor...]  
RH: no no wait | WAIT |

RH interrupts PL, snatching the paper up with wide eyes.

RH: this is ancient skaian paradox barcoding | what the fuck |  
AI: **No, that.** **That shouldn't be possible!**  
PL: [And yet, we received a complete coded instruction in a language that doesn't even exist in our universe and no scholar has managed to recreate.]  
SC: and what does this mean??  
PL: [Everything, maybe.]  
RH: so uh | im guessing were gonna be sent out to wherever these coordinates point to | but |  
RH: why us? |

PL lowers her head.

PL: [Yes, you're correct on that front. I chose you three specifically because I need people I can trust who also aren't going to be tracked by Crockercorp.]  
AI: **Even though there are dozens of people like us who'd fit the bill?** **I mean, pretty much anyone _not_ in a commanding role would be good, so...**

PL looks back over to the paper clutched in RH's hands. Her expression takes a turn for the strange.

PL: [I don't know. There was just... this feeling, that it _had_ to be you three. Call it a whim of paradox space.]  
PL: [This is what needs to be.]  
SC: ......

SC feels uneasy. He knows PL to be truly devout to the Skaian Paradigm in a way most others aren't. Even were this a faith-guided inference, PL wouldn't act illogically. This has to be something else. Something important on a cosmic scale SC can barely comprehend. And yet, the more he thinks on it, the more right it feels to him, too.

AI: **Shit, this is all really happening.**  
RH: |||

RH looks back to the ajar opening flap to the tent, to the steadily thickening haze of smoke seeping in and the terrible, terrible noises of warfare.

RH: not like we got much of a choice | either die here or | i guess die several weeks later on a potentially fruitless quest |  
SC: i don't know.. something feels...... big,, about all this..

What he doesn't say is that it feels big in a way that makes the dying going on outside feel less significant, and the way that that makes him feel better. He feels disgusted himself even thinking it.

AI: **That's that, then.** **We're all in.**

PL nods. It's not a happy expression, but SC supposes such things are impossible right now.

PL: [Thank you. We know the coordinates point to somewhere in the south, but we can triangulate more precisely once we get out of this village.]

As she talks, there's a loud bang and a flash of red light that sends ethereal shadows dancing up the tent's translucent walls. SC tries very hard not to think of the villagers whose lives he tended to not a few hours past. He wants to be sick.

RH: im assuming theres a way outta here without the crocker deathship blasting us |  
PL: [Yes. The emergency transportalizer attached to the communal alchemiter has enough charge for a single evacuation.]  
SC: but that's on the other side of the village..  
AI: **And more importantly, wouldn't someone have used it by now?**

PL's face takes a turn for the grim. There's another bang and the power dies. In the half-glow, she looks like one of the Skaian warriors of old.

PL: [They can't. Nobody can.]  
PL: [The device is locked to my ectobiological imprint.]  
AI: **You...** **That...**  
PL: [We can debate later. There's only a matter of minutes before the scorcher makes quick work of us all.]  
AI: **...**  
AI: **Fine.** **Fine.**

AI is clearly not fine, but her face is torn by the same base instinct that screams to survive that all of them are feeling. She's left looking miserable.

PL: [Then let's go. Stay close to me.]

The time for talking ends swift as that. PL starts taking deliberate strides back towards the impromptu entrance she made for herself. There's maybe three seconds of hesitation before SC and the others follow suit. AI clenches her jaw in an attempt not to cry. RH deliberately keeps his eyes on the paper. SC kind of dissociatively follows along, eyes drawn to whatever movement he sees. He sees another plate fall to the ground in an aftershock of an explosion and sharply realises nobody will ever eat here again. Then he's being ushered out of the tent as slow, yellow flames lick up the edge of the front entrance.

Obviously, the tent wasn't soundproof, but the noise of violence sends keen thrills of pain through SC's shell in a way that it didn't back inside. The air is thick with toxic plumes, what's left of the village is quickly combusting, and above, there is no sky. Just a block of pure red branded with that accursed fucking spork. At his feet...

At his feet...

Well, if SC doesn't describe it, it can't become real. He doesn't need to look at the ground. What he smells is definitely just the charred scent of consort infrastructure. He is not going to vomit and scream until he's reached relative safety.

RH: oh fuck | all those little dudes |

Then RH states the obvious anyway and SC's repression goes out the window. He still refuses to look, though. He can't. He cannot see everything he's stood for torn apart. So he chooses to look upwards to the instrument of imperial violence and not at its after effects. He wonders if that makes him a coward.

AI: **Shit.**  
PL: [Get back.]

Rather abruptly, SC is shoved behind what remains of a wall alongside his compatriots as PL strides further out into the open. There's a human soldier stomping through the ashy dirt, trailed by a path of crumpled yellow corpses. They're kitted up in crimson uniform, one unidentifiable unit among thousands scouring the ground beneath their feet for more targets. Without so much as a tremble PL withdraws her own gun, steadies it, and fires two clean, perfect shots to the weak spot in the armour beneath the shoulder blades. The human lets out an abrupt agonised grunt, then crumples to the floor as the bullets shred their spinal cord to nothing. SC just stares at the scene, his brain feeling like an overstretched water balloon. Abstractly he is 100% aware that he is being traumatised in real time, and that fact stupidly makes him have to bite down an overwhelming urge to giggle.

PL: [We're clear. The transportalizer's the next block over.]

Mutely, they follow PL through another stretch of ruined village. The bulk of the fighting's going down further in. Probably centred around the weapons dispensary, if SC were to hazard a guess. That's where his comrades will be fighting, and where they will ultimately die. It's so funny that literally three hours ago the most challenging part of his life was trying to fix a dislocated salamander tail. So absolutely fucking hilarious!

When they finally stumble upon the transportalizer, or, where the transportalizer is meant to be, SC feels a strange wave of disappointment. He half expecting something important, some radical adjustment. But no. It's just one patch of ashy dirt among every other patch of ashy dirt, all trapped under an artificial #FF0000 sky.

RH: hey wheres the thing |  
PL: [Void guarded, just in case.]

PL removes from her jacket a small fob device with a couple buttons on it. She presses them both in an elaborate sequence, and the air six feet away from them ripples, dispelling to reveal the alchemiter-transportalizer combo machine so ubiquitous to Earth C's major settlements. The transportalizer portion itself is about the size of a helicopter pad, the console the size of a bus. The scale of it makes SC dizzy for a moment.

RH: hey |  
PL: [Stand on the pad. I need to initialise the process.]

SC mutely complies, moving his legs almost numbly onto the pad. RH follows suit, face troubled to hell and back. AI stands back, however, looking right at PL.

AI: **Now, hang on one second.** **I know how this kind of transportalizer works, and I  
PL: [As do I, acutely. Now, if you want to live, please stand on the pad.]  
AI: *...*

AI starts to cry a little. RH is trembling. SC is too dazed to make much sense of any of this, other than the single truth that people are dying and people are dying and even more people will die before this is through.

PL inserts her key into the machine. She looks over to the three of them with a face that fights to remain stoic. She doesn't smile, just gazes on with unfixed determination.

PL: [Skaiaspeed to you all.]

She turns the key. The machine begins to hum. Above, a slot in the airship opens up. SC looks back to PL. Then he realises.

SC: no,, no,, no,, wait!!  
RH: no you cant | you gotta |

RH wraps a hand around SC's arm so tight it's a miracle his shell doesn't crack.

SC: but she'll  
AI: **Don't you think we all fucking _know_ that?**

AI is bitter, so bitter and so upset. Her tattoos seem to dance in the steadily increasing blue light that surrounds the three of them.

AI: **But what's the alternative?** **What's the fucking alternative???**

She buries her face in her hands, lets out a horrible sob. SC abruptly stops struggling and looks up. From within the bowels of the Crocker ship falls a pointedly large bomb. He has no way to measure it accurately but the fact that he can make out the logo crystal clear from a hundred feet away is not a good sign.

SC: but this isn't

The bomb draws closer, closer. The noise washes out, and an electric light washes in. There's a split second between words where SC feels abruptly _ripped_ from reality, where he's overwhelmed by the urge to scream but too formless to do so.

SC: fair

Then he's standing atop a hill maybe a mile or two from the village. He can see the Crocker ship in all its excessive expanse, the tiny smouldering remains of a village still clinging to life. Then the moment that the bomb touches the ground and the whole valley is swallowed in a wall of fire.

RH: no |  
RH: no no no no no shit fuck no ||||||

RH falls to his knees and begins to babble, but the sound is swallowed entirely by the encroaching blast. A rippling wave of hot air blasts into the trio with the force of a small tornado. The paper slips free from RH's hands. SC dives up to grab hold of it, shielding it as best he can from the atmospheric cooker they all find themselves in. There's no single neat blast; instead there's wave after wave of airborne cinders that forces them all lower and lower to the ground in a desperate hope to avoid the worst of it.

It takes a long time for things to go quiet, enough that dawn is truly gone and the sun lingers heavy and overbearing close to its apogee point. If he were built that way, SC would be sweating. But it's quiet, and the heat flexible enough to allow some air, so he assumes the worst must be over.

AI: **Oh my god.**

AI sits cross-legged, nervously drumming one hand against the flat dirt as she peers into the vortex of smoke that once was an entire consort settlement. It's too dense to see inside, and may not clear for a long time yet. SC has a feeling, however, that what lies in place of the village is something none of them want to see.

AI: **It's all...gone.** **Just.** ** _Gone_.**  
RH: we | it cant | fuck theyre all |

RH pulls his beanie down over his face and tries and fails to steady his breathing. The fabric of his idiosyncratic headwear is scorched and torn at the edges, loose threads swaying in the wind. SC reaches up and touches his own head; his sailor hat is dented and misshapen and caked thick with a layer of ash. It feels as battered and wrecked as he does.

RH: what do we do now | what the hell do we do now |  
AI: **I don't...** **I don't know.**

SC blinks, slowly tearing his gaze from his friends to the piece of paper in his lap. The slightly-singed barcode signals laid out by some design of cosmic apocrypha stare back. The glyphs almost seem to move. Seem to be imparting some kind of message. They feel alive.

Without intending to, SC begins to speak.

SC: i...... i think i know what we have to do..  
SC: the coordinates...... we need to follow them..  
AI: **But what about the people down there?** **We can't just leave them.**  
RH: ai theyre | theyre fucking gone | theres nothing left |

AI shakes her head.

AI: **No, then we need to, to...** **Fuck, I don't know.** **Call for help, get in touch with someone, _anything_.**

She doesn't seem to believe her own words even as she says them. SC frowns.

SC: you know,, i don't think we have a choice..  
SC: there's something important enough about this code that they wiped an entire village out for them.. and we have the only copy left..  
SC: i think we HAVE to follow them.. i mean,, don't you feel it??  
AI: **Feel what?**  
SC: some kind of,, i don't know,, pull??

He jabs a finger into the paper.

SC: like it's calling out to you.. like this is what we were meant to do all along..  
AI: **...**  
RH: i mean | uh | actually | kinda? |  
RH: cant explain it but | just feel like theres something important out there | like maybe the most important thing ever |  
RH: and we have to be the ones to find it | i dunno its hard to like | actually quantify |  
RH: more like a cosmically overwhelming vibe if you get me |  
AI: **...**  
AI: **Okay, okay, you're right!** **I feel it too.**  
AI: **But...** **But...**  
AI: **Why does it have to be _us?_ ** **What did we do so wrong that the universe decided to make us _important?_ **  
SC: i don't know..  
SC: but i think we need to find out..

That somehow does it. Both AI and RH go quiet, looking at SC as if he's imparted some grave wisdom. Or maybe whatever force is now guiding them has decided to move things along.

SC: i think we should get going.. it's already nearly noon,, and we have a long way to go..  
RH: but where exactly are we going? |  
AI: **PL said south, so I assume that's where we'll start.**  
SC: ready to move??  
RH: no | but this isnt one of those things we get to object to is it? |  
AI: **I fear not.** **I suppose we should start while there's still light.**  
SC: then let's get going..

Three young volunteers of the now-defunct Carapacian Aid Network sit dazed on the hillside, but they are not who stand. First, the Ambulatory Introspective pulls herself to her feet, blinking up at the sky as if anticipating some kind of divine message. Then the Roaming Herald stands, sparing one final troubled glance at the ruins of the village below. At the front, armed with a piece of paper that promises things both great and terrible, arises the Sacred Coordinator.

And they start to wander.

ii.

GALIOS: hey. y֍u'd better wake up. it's f֍֍d day.  
KANIRA: ^.^ eh...?~  
GALIOS: get the fuck UP. i'm not seeing y֍u starve.  
GALIOS: this ain't h֍w we're dying, k?  
GALIOS: N֍W!!!

Kanira Asiyon flinches as her ex-moirail-turned-cellmate Galios Mutgar delivers a swift kick to the side that wakes her up. She blinks slowly a few times, waiting for the world to come back into focus.

The smell hits her first. The smell always hits first. Cloying and wretched, somewhere between industrial smog and caramelised piss. There's almost something funny about the cake mills responsible for the production of a good 90% of Earth C's sweet goods being so rank, in a kind of industrial fascist kind of way. And by funny she means it's absolutely awful.

GALIOS: c'm֍n, UP.  
KANIRA: ^.^ i—im moving...~

She rises to her feet on legs turned shaky and weak. She used to be in fairly great shape for a woman of her age if a little heavyset, but six months in the mills has reduced her to someone as weak as a second-pupation wriggler. Turns out a diet of stale frosting and mouldy spongecake really doesn't do much for your constitution.

GALIOS: better. y֍u already missed the last feeding. ain't sure y֍u'd survive missing an֍ther.  
KANIRA: ^.^ uh huh~

Kanira blinks a couple of times, waiting for her brain to come back into focus. She's long-since given up on functioning like she used to, but basic sensory awareness in a place like this is the difference between life and death. She glances over across the cell to where Galios stands, except...

KANIRA: ^.^ shit~  
KANIRA: ^.^ shit shit shit~  
GALIOS: eh?  
KANIRA: ^.^ its~  
KANIRA: ^.^ its finally given up~  
GALIOS: well fuck.

The left half of her vision is a hazy dark smudge. Kanira gingerly touches her face and feels the cold, dead surface of her bionic eye. It's one of the older models that requires a tune-up every year or so to require functioning. Kanira had several chances to upgrade to something more this decade, but she always swore the tradeoff between image quality and power efficiency wasn't worth it. She's now eating her words big time.

GALIOS: y֍u g֍nna be ֍k?  
KANIRA: ^.^ i... i think so long as i dont need to~  
KANIRA : ^.^ uh~

Kanira clamps her mouth shut. You don't openly announce weakness in the Crocker panopticon, not where you can be seen or heard. Which constitutes pretty much everywhere. If and when you get chosen for one of the gameshows, they will use it against you without fail. Young Bonist and her epilepsy were a grim reminder of that. Poor girl hadn't even seen her ninth sweep before being shoved on the hypercolour disco floor. Even Kanira still sees the flashes when she closes her eyes, four months on.

Galios nods. He gets it. He always got it, too, during their youth when they paledated. It's what made them work for so long. Kanira doesn't regret splitting up ten sweeps back – he took more than he gave and Kanira couldn't juggle such a draining relationship with her fledgling education career – but her incarceration has reminded her of what did work so long ago. She looks at him again now, this man so far removed from the troubled youth of twelve sweeps whose religion dissuaded him from traditional therapy. He's still a devout man of the Messiahs, a traditional tall and broad purpleblood whose face markings still miraculously cling on after so long in the mills. The years haven't been the kindest to either of them, but Kanira can still see the young man who'd give a passionate whoop during church ceremonies and guzzle the elixir like no other.

Kanira, meanwhile, took the softer approach. She quickly rose up the ranks to earn the position of lead professor of extracosmic anthropology at New Thrashstem University by her thirteenth wriggling day. Her doctorate paper positing the existence of a pre-Skaian scratch precursor planet to Alternia made waves among the right circles and earned her a spot of celebrity for a while. Unfortunately that celebrity backfired when the Crocker regime rose to power and cracked down on improper and seditious teachings. Kanira, one of the leading scholars in a study now classed as a threat to Earth C's political stability, was among the first civilians to be imprisoned. Troll Kingdom religious leaders followed suit, with a swift roundup of every attendee of the bicentennial Dark Carnival gathering, Galios included.

In the six months since Kanira and Galios's initial incarceration, the number of troll prisoners has risen exponentially. They were both initially stationed at the New Thrashstem mill but were transferred to Outglut^2 just to make room for all the political dissidents being raked in from the metropolis's streets. There's not yet been any sign of mass executions, but Kanira hears the whispers, knows the respective histories of three-fourths of the sentient races on Earth C. The rate of “tragic accidents” steadily grows week by week. It's only a matter of time before it's not just flour being poured into the mixing bowls.

KANIRA: ^.^ anything changed since last night?~  
GALIOS: n֍t in any way meaningful t֍ us, if that's what y֍u're asking.  
KANIRA: ^.^ oh?~  
GALIOS: well.

Galios leans against the cell bars. His face is tired in way Kanira used to only see during their feelings jams. It is a face utterly stripped bare of hope.

GALIOS: it'll pr֍lly make the ann֍uncements t֍day anyway, but...  
GALIOS: vantas shifted his ass int֍ high gear last night.  
KANIRA: ^.^ really?~

Kanira does her best to tamp down any major reaction. They're always listening in for the wrong opinions.

GALIOS: yeah. hijacked the tv br֍adcast n everythin'.  
GALIOS: dr֍pped s֍me wickednasty taunts f֍r a while, then dr֍pped a c֍uple a m֍therfuckin' b֍mbshells.  
KANIRA: ^.^ like what?~  
GALIOS: he's ֍fficially pushed cr֍cker f֍rces ֍utta the city f֍r n֍w f֍r starters.  
KANIRA: ^.^ i see~

She does not react. She uses all of what little strength she has to not react. Reacting is very much not a thing she does.

GALIOS: then he just casually ann֍unces like it ain't n֍ shit that he's ֍nly g֍ne and m֍therfucking assassinated gamzee makara.  
KANIRA: ^.^ ~  
KANIRA: ^.^ ~  
KANIRA: ^.^ ~

Kanira has to bite her tongue here not to let out some kind of exasperated response that would draw all the wrong attention.

KANIRA: ^.^ r-really?~  
GALIOS: yeah. p֍pped ֍ut the c֍rpse like it ain't n֍b֍dy's business ֍n tv just like that.  
GALIOS: m֍therfucker was all kinds ֍f fucked up, lemme tell ya.  
KANIRA: ^.^ never thought id see the day~  
KANIRA: ^.^ its always been “you cant keep down the clown”~  
KANIRA: ^.^ and yet it seems the clown is indeed down~  
GALIOS: yeah.

Kanira's pusher is rattling at a million miles per second. She only doesn't sweat through sheer force of will. Nominally, yes, Gamzee Makara's just some minor religious figurehead, but those in the know are aware just exactly how high that pious minstrel had risen. Makara was more protected than Crocker's own human husband, despite how utterly wretched their kismesisitude had grown in the last few years. So the fact that the rebellion hit out at someone like that...

Gears begin to turn in Kanira's head, the same gears that earned her that doctorate over a decade ago.

KANIRA: ^.^ wonder how the church of redemption will cope~  
GALIOS: d֍n't fuckin' kn֍w. that shit wasn't ever my wheelh֍use.  
GALIOS: ain't like the temple ֍f the messiahs where we g֍t success֍rs f֍r ֍ur success֍rs lined up.  
GALIOS: kinda g֍t the impressi֍n it was a ֍ne tr֍ll sh֍w?  
KANIRA: ^.^ well, yeah, come to think of it, barely anyone who wasnt a sky ghost actually followed the doctrine~  
KANIRA: ^.^ so was this more of a personal act of vengeance?~

She knows the lore behind Vantas and Makara. Both the official and the true lore. She also knows the way that Earth C is stuck in a weird kind of mythologised nostalgia for its creators. Only a fool would believe this was comeuppance for a failed teenage moirallegiance.

GALIOS: dunn֍. i'm just the messenger.  
GALIOS: guys r֍und the f֍rced lab֍r r֍֍m think a line was cr֍ssed th֍ugh.  
GALIOS: might just fuckin' be that cr֍cker's gr֍wn sick ֍f hum֍ring vantas's antics.  
KANIRA: ^.^ that so~  
GALIOS: well, it's the impressi֍n we g֍t fr֍m the end ֍f the br֍adcast at least.

She barely dares to say the next words.

KANIRA: ^.^ were talking an escalation?~

Galios doesn't say anything. That's all the answer she needs.

WARDEN: OKAY, STEP THE FUCK BACK.  
WARDEN: GOT SOME FOOD FOR YOU INSECTS.  
WARDEN: IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY.

She didn't notice it mid-conversation, but one of the prison wardens, a beefy human man with bulging nervous eyes, stands outside their cell. He carries a tray of leftover mouldy cake shavings and is dressed in as close as you can get to a hazmat suit without actually wearing one. Kanira knows about the outbreaks of perfectly preventable dangerous diseases in the mills, but she knows this man isn't dressed like that for the sake of health and hygiene. Propaganda films about the unsanitary nature of trolls have been growing in prevalence over the last few years. This is the natural endstate of an ideological assault.

WARDEN: BACK OF THE CELL, OR YOU GO HUNGRY.  
KANIRA: ^.^ come on, lets move~  
GALIOS: aight.

Galios nods, sparing one last glance at the geared up human male. The man flinches back, and Kanira knows it's not even the obvious strength difference between a human and a fully-grown purpleblood in his prime. They are Others so horrifying to this simple-minded man.

They both stand against the far wall of the cell, which equates to maybe a six foot distance if you squinted. Once they're there, the man makes a slow and panicky show of opening the cell door. The loud clunking of the lock sends spikes of pain through one side of Kanira's head that blossom quite intensely at the site of her dud eye. It's been so long that painkillers seem like a deluded fantasy.

WARDEN: DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE.

The warden takes his first step into the cell, quite literally very nearly shitting his pants as he does so. It'd be kind of funny, Kanira thinks, were it not for the fact that this is a prison and he has a very visible lethal gun that he has used quite frequently on even more compliant prisoners than she. She barely breathes as he bends to drop the tray.

Time dilates to an agonising extent in the moment between the tray touching the floor and the warden letting go. Kanira awaits a clatter that never comes, swallowing to try and stop herself from trembling. She used to be a respected member of society. Now she's... she's just stock in a cage. Clenching her teeth just to last another day. She closes her eyes. Breathes. Breathes. Waits for time to resume. Breathes.

Nothing's happening. Kanira opens her eyes. Sees the warden frozen half-hunched over the ground, expression twisting into something terrible.

WARDEN: THE FUCK YOU LOOKING AT?  
GALIOS: n֍t a damn thing, my guy.

Galios raises his hands in a show of innocence and compliance, but the gesture only seems to make the human tense up further. Kanira feels a dark pit ripple open in her stomach. Her head is pounding and she can only see the worst possible outcome.

WARDEN: I'M SORRY, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?  
GALIOS: i t֍ld y֍u, i'm n֍t l֍֍king at a m֍therfuckin' thing, man.

The warden stands up straight. He does not let go of the food tray. Kanira is still as marble.

WARDEN: I WOULDN'T SAY YOU WERE LOOKING AT ME IF YOU WEREN'T FUCKING LOOKING AT ME, INSECT.  
GALIOS: l֍֍k, h֍nest t֍ m֍therfuck, n֍b֍dy here was givin' y֍u any kind ֍f evil eyes—

Galios, without realising, takes a step forward. A vase falls from the top of Kanira's brain, whistling a terrible tune as it races toward the bottom of her toes. The prison beyond this room washes away to a silent white backdrop as the world shrinks to this one terrible, terrible moment.

WARDEN: I SAID TO STAY THE FUCK BACK!  
GALIOS: ֍kay, my bad, it's all c֍֍l, n֍ pr֍blems here. s֍ if we can all just—  
WARDEN: YOU GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!

Kanira can't tell what the catalyst is. Galios taking that next stupid step forward, or the warden's last nerve fraying to a snapping point. It doesn't really matter. Time ticks forward. The vase in her mind shatters. The man with the gun opens fire.

KANIRA: ^.^ ah—!~

Her ears rattle with the sound of the blast, fading into a harsh hiss. Then the pain unfolds from a spot somewhere between her shoulder and collarbone. Her dirty white prison shirt is quickly enveloped by a distressing spread of dark purple.

Kanira, absurdly, lets out a sharp, cawing laugh, the sound of a condemned woman who's reached the end of the road.

KANIRA: ^.^ dear oh dear~

Then she slumps to the floor. The vision in her one working eye rather worryingly blurs at a rapid rate until all she can sense is the scream of white noise, the smudge of colour that is the cell before her, and a warm pulse running through her torso. She's a pianostring away from slipping away from consciousness entirely.

GALIOS: n֍ n֍ n֍ n֍ N֍ N֍!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!  
GALIOS: KANIRA!!!!!!!!!!

Galios lets out a roar, hands immediately flying to her wound. In his panic, he momentarily forgets about the spooked trigger happy human six feet away from him. That lasts up until the second shot fires out, missing Galios's head by a miracle.

WARDEN: T-THIS IS YOUR FAULT! IF YOU'D JUST  
GALIOS: y֍u sh֍t my lady, my g֍֍d man.  
GALIOS: seems y֍u just fucked up real bad.

Galios stands up, going very stiff and very calm. His eyes lock onto the warden and don't budge. Kanira, in her delirium, still feels the dread pierce her like a knife. What she sees before her is the feral animal she failed to tame all those sweeps ago brought out in full force. Her head rolls back as everything begins to tumble down.

GALIOS: s֍ i guess we'd better D֍ S֍METHING ab֍ut this ֍ne, eh?

He takes a deliberate stride forward. His eyes flare up in a brilliant and terrible purple glow that leaves afterimages in Kanira's vision.

GALIOS: y֍u'd best be getting y֍ur understanding ֍n as t֍ h֍w r֍yally y֍u just FUCKED EVERYTHING UP  
GALIOS: w֍uldn't y֍u say?  
WARDEN:  
GALIOS: WELL, M֍THERFUCKER??  
WARDEN: I DON'T—Y֍U NEED TO STOP M֍VING—  
WARDEN: WHAT ARE Y֍U D֍ING T֍ ME???

Kanira always knew Galios had the capacity for chucklevoodoos, but it was a kind of abstract fact that never registered in her life beyond an interesting bit of trivia. Now that he's unleashing the ancient genetic gift with enough force that even Kanira feels like she's about to puke, it all feels very different and very real.

WARDEN: MAKE IT ST֍P MAKE IT ST֍P MAKE IT ST֍P!!!!!! ֍H FUCK IT HURTS MAKE IT ST֍P!!!!!!!!!!!  
GALIOS: nah, d֍n't think i will.  
GALIOS: think it's kinda funny, actually.

Galios tightens his grip. The air grows thicker with the palpable psychic terror. And Kanira knows this is where they both die.

KANIRA: ^.^ galios, please~

Kanira tries to reach out to him, but she's too weak from the gunshot wound, and he's too far gone into the berserk power trip. That was the issue, with the Mirthful on old Alternia. Once the rage started, they never knew how to stop.

GALIOS: dance f֍r me, m֍therfucker.  
WARDEN: AH—AH—AHHHHHHHH!!!! N֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She hears more than she sees the warden's limbs snap and crunch as they contort into unnatural marionette-esque positions. His arms smack against the cell walls. The tray goes flying into one corner, the cake spreading out across the floor by Kanira's rapidly growing blood pool. His gun clatters by his feet, a dark smudge she can't make out.

GALIOS: Y֍U SH֍T MY LADY, M֍THERFUCKER.  
GALIOS: S֍ DANCE!!!! DANCE!!!!!!!!  
WARDEN: LET ME G֍ LET ME G֍ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEPLEAPSLEPLPAPSLPLPPSLPS AAAAAAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHEEHEEHEEHEEH֍֍H֍֍H֍֍!!

The warden descends into agonised incoherency as his head rattles around. Kanira thinks she sees red blood flowing freely from his eyes, ears, and nose. This is maybe the first time in her life she's thankful for her impaired sight.

Next to her, Galios stars to physically shake under the pressure of maintaining the chucklevoodoo flow. He's tapping into a power not meant for mortal trolls, that much she is suddenly sure of. If he doesn't stop now, the power will kill him. Kanira goes to reach out again, then pauses. Dead of a psychic aneurysm, dead by the hand of a firing squad. What's the difference? They're doomed anyway. So what is the fucking difference?

She looks at him one more time, and understands. She cares about him too much to let him lose himself like this. That's the difference. She won't let them take him from her. Not like this. Never like this.

With a new-found strength she shouldn't have, Kanira rises. She extends her bloody arm and clamps it around his leg, fingers clamped deep enough to break the skin.

KANIRA: ^.^ galios, stop!~  
WARDEN: HEE HEE HEE HAA HAA HAA H֍֍ H֍֍ H֍֍  
GALIOS: M֍THERFUCKING DANCE  
KANIRA: ^.^ please, stop!!!~  
WARDEN: HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!  
GALIOS: DANCE F֍R ME, M֍THERFUCKER!  
KANIRA: ^.^ i said~  
WARDEN: HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!  
GALIOS: HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!  
KANIRA: ^.^ GALIOS, MOTHERFUCKING STOP!!!!!!!~  
GALIOS: y֍uwha?

All at once, Galios blinks back to reality. He looks down at Kanira, half-bewildered. A sharp purple haze washes across Kanira's vision that just as abruptly cuts out. Across the room, the warden gives out one last animalistic howl before dropping to the ground with a decidedly final crunch.

GALIOS: kanira, what  
KANIRA: ^.^ not like this~  
KANIRA: ^.^ not~  
KANIRA: ^.^ im not losing you like this~

Kanira gasps for breath. Her trembling arm slips free from Galios, and she slumps down with a concerning squelch. She's rapidly losing feeling in several areas of her body, and there's enough of her mind left to know what that means.

GALIOS: kanira, what the sweet FUCK did y֍u just d֍  
KANIRA: ^.^ hah~  
KANIRA: ^.^ wasnt gonna let you run yourself into the ground~  
KANIRA: ^.^ you deserve better~

She shifts the wrong way and loses the ability to move her arm just like that.

KANIRA: ^.^ fucking damn, it hurts~  
GALIOS: kanira

Then she lets out one more heavy breath, and her vision finally gives out just as the prison sirens start to blare.

iii.

Curfew slams into effect precisely five minutes before the sun dips over the horizon. The artificial floodlights lining each street snap to life, and the loudspeakers droningly repeat Baroness Crocker's soothingly maternal authoritarian demands. In the streets, the humans below quickly scuttle off back to their home as the bright crimson patrol cars and surveillance drones begin to crawl out of the woodwork, scanning hungrily for any potential dissenters to incarcerate.

Arti Evra leans against the open doorway of the brownstones apartment complex they call home, watching as the packed traffic flow quickly fades down to a few official government vehicles, the occupants of which eye them judgingly for semi-flaunting curfew. Arti knows the law. So long as they don't step onto public pavement, they cannot be persecuted. It is a fact that is good to keep in mind as things take a turn for the politically fucked.

Everyone saw last night's media fiasco. Everyone, even if they don't know exactly what it means, can take a good guess. It was a bare-face declaration of war dragging this interracial conflict out of its five-year-long stint in the shadows. Already things have started to change. Where before you could come and go as you like with the right credentials, now nobody not on a specific corporate whitelist can enter or exit NuSeattle. And then there was the whole separate issue of the Egbert family's apparent defection. It all adds up to an increasingly tightening noose wrapping around the city's throat, a fact which worries Arti for myriad reasons.

CHRISTINA: looks like its gonna rain  
ARTI: huh?

Arti blinks as one of their roommates, Christina Baldwin, steps out into the narrow space next to them. Her eyes are trained uneasily on the dusk sky and the increasing swell of pregnant clouds.

ARTI: i guess it could happen. it's got that kinda look to it.  
ARTI: gotta say, never actually paid much attention to it.  
CHRISTINA: i mean yeah its probably not as urgent as like  
CHRISTINA: all the recent goings on but still  
CHRISTINA: weathers always important you know?

She folds her arms. Her mouth quirks into a small frown. She looks tired and frayed. They all do, nowadays. Especially the occupants of this specific building.

CHRISTINA: how are the streets looking?  
ARTI: at least as many eyes as last night. could be more. too early to say.  
ARTI: they did drop an eight-thirty curfew, so take from that what you will.  
CHRISTINA: its getting worse isnt it?  
ARTI: ...

Arti looks to one side. Their eyes feel heavy.

ARTI: it is, yeah.  
CHRISTINA: well shit

Christina cranes her head forward to get a good look at the street, nervously running one hand through her braids.

CHRISTINA: probably no chance of an emergency grocery run then  
ARTI: not unless you want to draw the attention a curfew exemption form would bring.  
CHRISTINA: you think they do this shit on payday on purpose?  
ARTI: knowing crockercorp, probably.  
CHRISTINA: god we need to fucking get out of here

She spares a nervous glance back at the three storey property behind the two of them. What she's thinking doesn't need to be said.

CHRISTINA: at least the rain will obscure the drones heat sensors  
CHRISTINA: wont be able to tell theres more than four bodies in the house  
ARTI: there's that.

Christina and Arti fall into a barely-comfortable silence. It's been a long time since any of them have felt anything even close to peace or comfort. As they stand, Arti watches the first drops of rain splash against the ground.

ARTI: guess we should get inside.  
CHRISTINA: yeah youre right

With a strained and weary resignation, Christina leads the pair back inside. Arti closes the door just as the blaring whir of a drone in flight rumbles past. God they're so tired. They're always so tired, living in this draining sludge of a life with no visible end that carries with it even a shred of hope.

Arti follows Christina down the narrow hallway into the kitchen, where they find their other two legal registered roommates – Mari Tanaka and Dan Lopez – serving up some dinner with what little food is left. From the smell of it it's some kind of slow-cooked pasta dish. Dan stirs the sauce with nervous regularity and Mari boils the noodles with her eyes squarely trained on the window, even though the curtain is firmly shut. Dan notices their return first.

DAN: Hey. Batterwitch officially put her boot down for the night?  
CHRISTINA: yep  
ARTI: another high-surveillance night, but at least it's raining.

Arti walks over to Dan and lets him plant a kiss on their cheek. They lean against him for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his stubble against their face. It's always nice, but also a stinging reminder of how long it's been since the two of them were able to have anything even closely resembling a relationship.

MARI: Any eyes on what were doing?  
CHRISTINA: dont think so at least  
CHRISTINA: i mean no offense to us but whos gonna spare the resources for a bunch of twenty somethings when the egberts have gone full rebel  
MARI: I know. Still...

The four of them have lived together since their college days as dorm-mates, then kind of just continued to live together as a unit after graduation. Earth C's post-scarcity fruits are only ripe for those who don't need it. Those at the bottom strive and toil in the name of good old fashioned Earth capitalism, scraping by enough minimum wages to keep a rotting roof over their heads. At least they're all friends and in work. It's more than can be said for a lot of the poverty class of the Human Kingdom's metropolitan jewel.

ARTI: on the bright side there's still no waterproof bots, so when it really starts pouring down...

Arti stops themself, taking a quick look around the kitchen. No phones in here, or any other kind of electronic device. It's safe.

ARTI: they can come out.  
DAN: For whatever consolation that _actually_ is.

Dan lets out a sigh of frustration as he keeps stirring. It's nothing unusual. The fear. The frustration. The dread-tinged inertia. It's been a long day today, just as it'll be a long day tomorrow, as will every second of the borrowed time they're all riding on.

MARI: Youre sure of this?  
ARTI: pretty sure. the rain doesn't lie.

The conversation falls quiet for a second as Mari strains to listen. Once she hears the patter of water on glass she visibly relaxes a little.

MARI: Well, at least we get the victory of a fresh meal today.  
CHRISTINA: how much longer will it be?  
MARI: Hm. Maybe five minutes?  
CHRISTINA: ok so  
CHRISTINA: im gonna go get them  
CHRISTINA: wheres the key?

Mari points out the kitchen door and down the hallway.

MARI: Behind the coat rack in the wall safe.  
MARI: Combinations still the same.  
CHRISTINA: ok cool  
CHRISTINA: ill be a couple minutes  
MARI: Be careful.  
CHRISTINA: yeah

Christina turns and walks out the kitchen. Arti hears the floorboards creak under her as she retrieves the key, then the groan of the stairs as she rises up to the attic. With every noise the three in the kitchen flinch. They used to be outgoing people, friends with lives. Not these miserable, frightened shells. Arti wonders if it's the trauma. Probably.

ARTI: hey, anything i can do?  
DAN: You could set the table if that's cool.  
ARTI: yeah, it is.

Arti steps away from Dan and gets busy setting the large table in the corner of the kitchen. Eight plates, eight sets of utensils, eight glasses of water. They haven't seen this sight for nearly two months. Once done, they take their place at the seat closest to the door. Across the room, Mari passes the pan full of noodles to Dan, then takes her own seat across from Arti as Dan finishes up cooking.

ARTI: you doing ok?  
MARI: About as okay as anyone can be.  
MARI: Which is to say Im working a shitty job, coming home to a run down house, and pretending like Im not a major felon.  
MARI: ...  
MARI: Sorry, Im such a bitch tonight and I dont know why.  
ARTI: probably the stress.  
MARI: Probably.

She starts fiddling with a fork, not quite meeting Arti's gaze.

MARI: I just want a break, but it never ends.  
MARI: It never fucking ends and Im so tired.  
MARI: And I  
MARI: Fuck I feel horrible even saying it but  
MARI: Sometimes I wish we never did what we did, even though I know what it would mean.  
ARTI: no i get it. it's fucking exhausting. let's not pretend it's not that.  
ARTI: but this is what we chose, and even though it sucks, i don't really think any of us would have done differently.  
MARI: No, youre right, youre right. It just  
MARI: Yeah.

She doesn't finish the thought. She doesn't need to. It's the only thought any of them actually have. They're all latched on this train barrelling along rusty tracks in the dark towards a brick wall they all know is there but can't ever see. Arti just hopes the crash is quick and painless.

DAN: Hey, food's ready.  
ARTI: okay, cool.

Dan walks towards the table with a large steaming pot with a ladle sticking out. As he walks, there's the sound of Christina coming back down the stairs, along with four other sets of footsteps. She comes into the kitchen first, slowly and cautiously.

CHRISTINA: coast still clear?  
DAN: It's as good as it's getting. We're totally protected by the elements.

Dan motions to the window. The sound of the rain roars strongly enough to nearly drown out his voice. He flinches at the sound, adjusting his hearing aid after a few seconds. It's dull and grim and the best news any of them can hope for.

CHRISTINA: ok then  
CHRISTINA: you guys can come through

Christina steps further into the kitchen, sitting at the table as the first of the four reasons why they're all dead people walking emerges.

FELLNA: > Christina: Are you sure? ==>  
CHRISTINA: yeah its safe  
FELLNA: > Good. ==>  
FELLNA: > Haha, fuck, it's been how many weeks? ==>

Fellna Parell enters the kitchen like a timid housecat, her teal eyes wide and scrutinising. She barely makes it two steps in before she's followed.

BURNEI: W&rm food? For re&l w&rm food?  
BURNEI: Youd better not be shitting us, guys.  
AQUINI: they're clearly [NOT].  
AQUINI: you can literally see the steaming pot.  
AQUINI: it's [RIGHT THERE] bro.

Burnei Almere and Aquini Falvyn enter, arms slung around each other's shoulders. It doesn't quite work when the two trolls in question comprise a short bronze and a tall indigo, but the fact that they're trying is still cute as shit.

FELLNA: > [S] Burnei, Aquini: Try and behave, please! ==>  
FELLNA: > You keep acting like this and it'll be a four-month attic trip next time. ==>  
BURNEI: Wow, lighten up, Felln&. Im&gine if you werent stuck up for one second.  
FELLNA: > ...You're getting the small portion. ==>  
BURNEI: Hemoism? In THIS economy?? I thought better of you, girl.

The three trolls take their place at the table with a light-hearted banter long since extinguished between their human associates. It's almost enough to forget that all three are illegally harboured individuals who should have been turned over to the authorities back when Crockercorp officially kicked all trolls out of the city. But if that alone wasn't bad enough...

ENFUIR: xX youre behaving like wigglers at recess, all of you Xx  
ENFUIR: xX hardly illegal refugee chic, is it? Xx  
FELLNA: > Enfuir Lismet: Hop off your high horse. ==>  
ENFUIR: xX rolling my eyes. youre just as bad as the boys Xx

They're also harbouring an extremely rare and extra illegal limeblood. The blood type was never in any of the ectobiological breeding pools at the inception of Earth C's society, but somehow old Alternia's greatest sign of resistance found a way to come back. Systemic hemoism isn't really a thing in the Troll Kingdom (despite what some rich sociopathic bluebloods will tell you) but there's a kind of cultural weirdness attached to limebloods on a good day. On a bad day, well... Crockercorp wasted no time in reinserting the term “blood mutant” into cultural jargon. Reds and limes never seem to make it to the mills.

Enfuir shakes her head as she fills the last place at the table. She takes a glance at the humans around her and raises an eyebrow. The scar above it crinkles a little.

ENFUIR: xX god you all look like shit Xx  
ENFUIR: xX like seriously wow Xx  
DAN: I mean, everything does fucking suck, and continues to fucking suck no matter what.  
DAN: So, like, I'm not really sure how we _should_ be, you know?  
ENFUIR: xX i guess Xx  
ENFUIR: xX youre still all being kind of major bummers though Xx

The four trolls before them used to be freshman ectobiology students that Mari tutored as a side job, up until it became illegal for trolls to attend any kind of educational institution six months back. And then once trolls started getting expelled en masse, they all took the decision to shelter the four in their house. There's only like, a three year age gap between the two groups, but Arti feels so much older and wearier. The trolls still have that kid-like spark to them. The humans feel worn down and old. Only Dan seems to still make an effort, cracking a smile as he dishes out their meagre excuse for dinner. They never ate well, but they'd never dropped to leftover pasta noodle stew.

It seems to go down a treat with Aquini and Burnei, though.

AQUINI: hot [DAMN] this is some good shit.  
BURNEI: I c&nt s&y if this is genuinely ME&NT to be good, but...  
BURNEI: Definitely feeling some new & exciting things over here!  
DAN: I do try. :)

Dan gives a dry laugh, and for one minute it all feels normal, like they're all a bunch of normal room mates having a normal shitty dinner in the only shack the collective rent of eight people can buy. But it's not the case, and they can't even really pretend it's the case.

As if to illustrate the point, there's the brief blare of drone sirens outside the house. Immediately what little chatter there was cuts dead. Fellna frowns.

FELLNA: > Arti, Christina, Mari, Dan: Tell it to us straight. ==>  
FELLNA: > How bad has it really gotten out there? ==>  
MARI: You dont know? I thought you guys could still get the news at least.  
FELLNA: > Burnei had the feeling that we could be seen through the TV. ==>  
FELLNA: > So we've had the thing switched off for three weeks now. ==>  
BURNEI: Oh ye&h Crockercorp is tot&lly listening in btw.  
BURNEI: &mount of sm&rt communic&tion shit in thered give you nightm&res.  
BURNEI: & since I h&d & feeling things were only gonn& get worse I took some prevent&tive &ction.  
CHRISTINA: cant say its not smart but  
CHRISTINA: kinda sucks thats where youre at  
AQUINI: it is what it is  
AQUINI: at least we're all still [ALIVE].  
ENFUIR: xX anyway before we hit another maudlin circlejerk Xx  
ENFUIR: xX lets get back on topic Xx  
ENFUIR: xX how fucked up is the world right now? Xx

Enfuir looks to Arti. Arti can't help but look away. They really do not want to be the one to share the news, but...

ARTI: yeah, it's pretty bad.  
ARTI: you're already clued up on the hardcore curfews and all the subjugation laws, yeah.  
ENFUIR: xX right Xx  
ARTI: well, whatever pretence there was is gone.  
ARTI: war between the human and troll kingdoms is kind of inevitable now, if it's not already started.  
AQUINI: [DAMN].  
ENFUIR: xX what makes you so sure? Xx  
ARTI: well, they've not LITERALLY said it, but...  
ARTI: between the assassination of gamzee makara, the defection of the heir of breath, and the reoccupation of outglut^2, it's pretty damn apparent.

The four trolls blink in a shock long since muted among their more legal compatriots.

AQUINI: we missed [THAT MUCH]?  
BURNEI: Wh&t kind of fucked up month did we miss?  
MARI: Oh, this was all in the last week or so, actually.  
MARI: I mean, the tensions between vantas and crocker have been mounting for months now, but...  
MARI: All this happened in pretty quick succession.  
FELLNA: > [S] Holy shit. ==>  
DAN: Yeah, it's really not a pretty picture, guys.

Dan stands, shaking his head as he heads over to the sink to grab a glass of water.

DAN: Drone patrols are through the roof, Crocker propaganda's getting more brazen...  
DAN: I think it's a matter of weeks before there's a city-wide crackdown.  
BURNEI: So you me&n...  
ENFUIR: xX were gonna be sniffed out Xx  
DAN: ...Yeah. Sorry.

Another silence falls, save for the rattle of rain, the pouring of the faucet, and the muffled sounds of authoritarian traffic. The gloom in the air is heavy and palpable, like a net shrinking smaller and smaller. Arti feels a little like they can't breathe.

AQUINI: what can we [DO]?  
CHRISTINA: i dunno  
CHRISTINA: i mean maybe we can

Christina doesn't get to finish. There's a single precise knock at the front door that echoes through the house like a death knell. Arti closes their eyes and tries their hardest not to scream.

ENFUIR: xX well fuck Xx  
MARI: That the feds?  
CHRISTINA: has to be  
CHRISTINA: were an hour into curfew theyre the only ones who could be out there  
DAN: Shit, _shit_.  
BURNEI: Now wh&t?  
BURNEI: &ct like nobodys in?  
AQUINI: can't. even ignoring the [CURFEW] the [LIGHTS] are on.  
BURNEI: Fuck.

There's a second knock. Arti can't tell who among them flinches the hardest.

CHRISTINA: we need to do something right fucking now

Arti takes a breath and stands to their feet.

ARTI: ok.  
ARTI: i'll get the door, deal with them, buy us some time.  
ARTI: you guys head upstairs. if we're lucky, we should...

They can't finish. Doubt and blind fear cloud their judgement. Every cell screams to just drop it all and run away, but they can't do that. None of them have had that option for a long time. In an absurd, terrible way, Arti feels a flush of relief. Worst comes to it, this is where it all finally ends.

ARTI: i'm going. get moving.  
FELLNA: > Arti: Understood. ==>  
FELLNA: > And... ==>  
FELLNA: > Good luck. ==>  
ARTI: y-yeah.

Arti makes their way out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the front door. The walls feel too closed in as they walk, the ceiling too high, the floor too creaky, the lights too dark. They're struck by an absurd sense of surrealism, like the world around them is collapsing into something unrecognisable. Maybe it is. Maybe it has been ever since they decided to live their life in fear of the full force of the law.

There's another knock. The room spins, and Arti starts to hyperventilate. The exchange of air is the only thing keeping them from blacking out. More pressingly, they realise they can't hear the sound of the stairs yet. What the hell are they doing, why aren't they—

Arti reaches the door. The time for thinking is over. With a trembling hand, they reach down and turn the doorknob, swinging the door out into the vicious, drenching tempest.

????: hi. arti, right?

And they pause immediately. What stands outside in the rain, half illuminated by their crappy porch light, is not a corporate drone, nor a cop, nor any other hypothetical imagined threat. It's a young human woman, maybe around the same age as Arti with wide, curious eyes.

ARTI: u-um???  
????: this is the right place, yeah?  
????: PLEASE tell me i didn't fuck it up.

She reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a phone, seeming to look up something. A million thoughts run through Arti's dulled brain, all of which beginning and ending with “this is a plainclothes cop” and “it's all fucking over”. But nothing about her apparently screams Crocker law enforcer. She's too small, too round, too not dressed in red. But more curiously than all that is how she, despite standing under one of the worse downpours the city's seen all year, remains perfectly bone dry.

????: no, yeah, i'm right, this is the place.  
????: look, i get why you're hesitant, but you can trust me.  
????: i'm an ally.  
ARTI: and what does that mean?

Arti remains still, but tries to listen out for the sound of movement. They hear nothing. A shaky breath spills from their lips. They've never been so scared in their entire life.

The girl looks up, meeting Arti right in the eyes.

????: it means i can help you and your friends.  
????: _all_ of your friends.

The way she says it brokers no argument. She knows. As if to emphasis her point, she lifts her fingers behind her head in a crude imitation of troll horns. Arti's stomach does a fun and unexplainable series of tumbles that nearly results in them puking all over their unsettling visitor.

????: look, can you just let me in already?  
????: it's cold, and i have no fucking clue how long we can stall before the wrong eyes stray this way.  
ARTI: i—i mean, you can't  
ARTI: the curfew—how the hell did you  
????: awesome fascinating i'm heading in now.

With more strength than she appears to have, the young woman barges past Arti and into the house. Arti just stands there, gaping with an absurd thrill of terror that stupidly threatens to spill over into hysterical laughter. They stumble backwards, slamming against a shut door that neither of them closed.

????: everyone's in the kitchen, right?  
ARTI: no, what the actual fuck are you  
????: no time to explain it more than once. come on.

Then she starts striding down the hallway. Arti hurries after her, blindly praying that the worst is not about to come to pass. They almost miss it, but they also notice that the young woman makes no sound as she crosses the floorboards. Arti goes to comment, but before they can say anything, the young woman's already in the kitchen.

????: hey, guys!!  
DAN: Uh  
MARI: Um  
CHRISTINA: uhh  
ENFUIR: xX oh fuck Xx  
ARTI: please tell me... that...  
ARTI: oh no.

They're all still in there, all still standing around the kitchen like everything's completely fucking okay. They all blink at the young woman in bewildered incipient terror.

DAN: Arti, what the fuck is this.  
ARTI: i don't know, i...  
ARTI: why did none of you move??  
BURNEI: Th&ts... we...  
BURNEI: I dont know. We just... didnt?

The young woman steps further into the room, shaking her head. There's a kind of weird energy about her.

????: seriously, don't worry.  
????: i kept trying to tell arti over there, but did they listen?? of course not.  
????: please tell me the rest of you are gonna be less obstinate.  
????: because like i said, there's not much time.

Mari steps forward, trying to angle herself to act as best she can as a barrier between the young woman and the trolls. In one hand is a frying pan, and she makes no show of hiding it.

MARI: Then fucking talk. If you do ONE thing out of line, though...  
MARI: I wont hesitate to knock your lights out bitch.  
????: jeesh, fine! duly noted.

The young woman rolls her eyes, almost like she isn't quite taking this seriously. Like she hasn't busted in on one of the largest illegal harbouring of trolls within the city limits.

????: look, i'm on your side. my whole shitck being here is to help accelerate the collapse of the crocker regime.  
CHRISTINA: youre with the rebels?  
????: something like that, yeah.  
FELLNA: > Mystery woman: How did you know about us? ==>  
????: the details aren't important. you wouldn't get it anyway.  
????: i just knew, okay?  
AQUINI: what about  
????: the government? no, they don't know anything yet.  
????: they will by tomorrow, though. shit will hit the fan big time.

Arti clenches and unclenches their fists as a cold sweat breaks out. Their mouth is so painfully dry.

BURNEI: & how the fuck do you know th&t?  
????: like i said, i have my intel. i know some lore, to borrow a parlance that means jack fuck to any of you.  
DAN: Um, okay...  
AQUINI: so why are you [HERE]?  
????: because everything goes to hell in this city tomorrow, no matter what.  
????: and the eight of you are too important to the greater scheme of things to die here and now.  
ENFUIR: xX hold on Xx  
ENFUIR: xX what the fuck do you mean “die”? Xx  
????: you'll find out soon enough.  
????: but the gist is, my job is to get you guys out of here before it's too late.

It's... some kind of bombshell, that's for sure. A mysterious woman, impossibly appearing out of nowhere and boasting to offer salvation. It barely feels real. Like some crackpot delusion spawned from their collective desperate fugue.

ARTI: but how is it gonna get that bad that fast?  
ARTI: the war's not even started, and that's even if there's gonna BE a war.  
????: quick question for you all.  
????: how many of you have been keeping an eye on the consort kingdom?  
MARI: The consort kingdom?  
????: that is what i just said, yes.  
DAN: Well, no. Why would we?  
????: because if you had, you'd know that crockercorp's spent the last 24 hours systematically firebombing every single settlement in the kingdom out of existence.  
FELLNA: > [S] Wait, what? ==>

The young woman looks up to the ceiling for a moment, expression unreadable.

????: yeah. it's pretty bad. don't need me to tell you what this means.  
AQUINI: that crocker's officially [LOST HER SHIT]?  
????: it's the beginning of the end.  
????: but it's the way things go.

At that, she almost looks sad. Almost.

MARI: Cute story, but why should we trust you?  
MARI: Like, who the fuck even are you?  
????: right, yeah! should probably introduce myself properly.  
CARA: my name is cara. and as i said, i'm your ally.

The woman, whose name is now known to be Cara, gazes around at each person again. She is totally calm, despite the horrible things coming from her mouth. Arti almost feels afraid of her.

MARI: And how can we be sure of  
CHRISTINA: shes telling the truth

Christina stands in the kitchen doorway, having apparently left to retrieve her phone. Her expression is miserable.

CHRISTINA: youre totally right  
CHRISTINA: bunch of consort villages wrecked by crocker ship  
CHRISTINA: half of em moving onto the troll kingdom  
CHRISTINA: other half bound for home  
CHRISTINA: fuck  
CHRISTINA: fuck!!!

Christina starts to cry a little as she finishes scrolling through whichever news feed she's getting her information from. At this sight, Cara's expression softens.

CARA: this was inevitable. i'm sorry.  
CHRISTINA: how the hell are you so calm??  
CARA: like i said, i know some things. about the bigger picture, i mean.  
CHRISTINA: what bigger picture??? its all just death  
CARA: i... i know.  
CARA: but trust me, please.  
CARA: we don't have the time to argue right now.

Cara glances down at her own phone again. Arti tries to steal a glance, but it just looks like a blank white screen from where they stand.

ENFUIR: xX fine Xx  
ENFUIR: xX so what should our next course of action be? Xx  
FELLNA: > Cara: elaborate. ==>  
CARA: sure.  
CARA: okay, so

She brings her hands together, and her expression is painted with a knowing kind of determination.

CARA: right now, there's a five-mile blind spot corridor from behind your house to the highway beyond the city limits.  
CARA: for the next two hours this one region will be totally unmonitored.  
CARA: this gives us exactly enough time to get out of the city, if we leave right now.  
CARA: if we don't go, all eight of you will be dead before sunrise.  
CARA: there's a rendezvous point a few miles outside the city, a kind of safe house.  
CARA: from there, i'll let you know further about your role in protecting the timeline.  
ENFUIR: xX the timeline? Xx  
CARA: you'll understand soon enough, but only if we all leave right this minute.  
CARA: none of you guys realise just how important you're going to be. we can't lose you yet.  
CARA: so please, trust me.

For an incredibly long minute, nobody speaks, nobody moves. Then, Burnei steps forward.

BURNEI: Look, I think h&lf the shit you s&id is bullshit.  
BURNEI: But I do know th&t were on borrowed time & th&t this city is &bout to go to shit.  
BURNEI: & even if &ll you c&n offer is s&fe p&ss&ge out of here, well...  
BURNEI: Th&ts better th&n &nything else weve h&d so far, so...  
BURNEI: Ye&h, were in.

He speaks decisively in a way that leaves no room for doubt, not when he spells it out like that. It's all confusing and terrifying and downright fucking weird, but Cara's offering a way out of the city. They'd be idiots not to take up her offer. The worst that happens is that they all die, but they've been doomed for so long anyway.

ARTI: ...yeah, yeah, i'm gonna trust you. fuck, i'm gonna trust you.  
DAN: Not like we have many options, right?  
AQUINI: i think she's the [ONLY] option, really.  
CHRISTINA: no matter how you put it we need to get out of this city  
ENFUIR: xX it cant really be much worse than where we are now Xx  
FELLNA: > Cara: I'll follow you. ==>  
MARI: Fuck, what else can we do?  
BURNEI: Were in &greement id s&y. C&r&, youd better be right.  
CARA: thanks, guys. you don't know how much this matters.

She breathes out a sigh of relief, appears to psyche herself up, then points straight ahead of where she's standing. Arti still has a million questions about her, about what she's been saying, about literally everything, but they've been roped into the kind of situation where they have no choice but to let the flow of fate pull them along for the ride. Something's really weird, but who are they to argue?

CARA: so then... let's go.

And with that, Cara walks out of the kitchen, and they all follow her into the unknown.

iv.

KARKAT: SWIFER, OVER HERE.  
SWIFER: Sure! What is it boss?

Swifer Eggmop drops the box she's been carrying on the roadside and trots across the town square to where Commander Vantas stands alone amidst a pile of impressive looking military tech. He leans over a chugging generator that comes up to his waist, looking intently at an old-looking laptop hooked up to it from behind a pair of glasses. He doesn't wear them in public, obviously, but trying to look at a flickering screen through one unprotected eye is just asking for a migraine to happen. It's a scene Swifer's seen more than once back at the old base, where Vantas believes his own hype to the detriment of both his health and Kanaya Maryam's patience. Now that they're out in the open, he seems to have taken the hint.

Once he notices Swifer's approach, he lifts his head. His face is heavyset and grave, but still oddly youthful beneath the stress lines, the eyepatch, and the weird stubble thing he has going on. He never received the boon of immortality that his fellow creators were blessed with, so that's just what he looks like. Hard to imagine he has five years on Swifer.

KARKAT: THERE'S BEEN AN UPDATE.  
KARKAT: SEEMS CROCKER'S INTENT ON STICKING TO HER ONE-DAY ULTIMATUM.  
SWIFER: Golly gee! What makes you so sure?  
KARKAT: THIS.

He motions to the laptop. It currently displays some kind of radar, full to the brim with threatening spork-shaped blips closing in on the centre. The sporks in question being the Crocker army, and the centre being the city of Outglut^2. Swifer's never been combat-deployed, but she can understand that much.

SWIFER: Well, pardon me for stating the obvious, but this seems like pretty bad news boss!  
SWIFER: Except...

She pauses, glancing at the screen, then the cityscape around her bathed in the glow of the burning barrels placed before each dead streetlight. She was a countryside girl, then spent most of her life from her teen years onwards in the caverns shuffling the mother grub across the globe, but the sight of urban troll architecture still twangs at something inside of her. That communal thread that ties all trolls together. That innate knowing that this is representative of her people. Or something. She's far from stupid, but a lot of the big stuff's been a cut above her paygrade.

SWIFER: I'm just simply the one who swifs the floors boss.  
SWIFER: Why do I need to be privy to this intel?  
KARKAT: SWIFER, DON'T UNDERSELL YOURSELF.  
KARKAT: YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED MEMBERS OF THE REBELLION.  
KARKAT: SECOND TO ROSE AND KANAYA, IF I'M BEING PAINFULLY HONEST.

He runs a hand through his hair, brushing against the chip in his horn. Swifer doesn't fail to notice the exclusion of a certain matesprit of his.

SWIFER: Really boss?  
KARKAT: YOU'VE BEEN HERE FROM THE START, SINCE BEFORE THE WORLD WENT TO SHIT.  
KARKAT: WHEN JANE CROCKER WAS STILL JUST AN ANNOYING SHITHEAD AND NOT AN ACTUAL FASCIST ORCHESTRATING THE GENOCIDE OF OUR PEOPLE.  
KARKAT: I'VE LOST A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS, SWIFER.  
KARKAT: SOME LEFT, SOME BETRAYED ME, AND SOME...

It's slight, but he flinches a little. The aftermath of the report from the Liberty scouts is still raw and painful. Swifer's not one to pry into her boss's personal affairs, but... everyone knows the history. Everyone knows how much he must be hurting.

KARKAT: BUT NOT YOU, SWIFER. YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE BY MY SIDE.  
KARKAT: AND I CAN'T JUST SAY THAT ABOUT ANYBODY, UNDERSTAND.  
SWIFER: Well boss, I sure am flattered that I've earned your trust like that!  
KARKAT: AND THAT'S WHY I NEED YOU.  
KARKAT: I NEED SOMEONE I CAN TRUST WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT.  
SWIFER: And that's me?

Karkat nods.

KARKAT: LIKE IT OR NOT, THE REALITY IS CROCKER'S GOING TO HIT HARD FOR OUR STUNT YESTERDAY.  
KARKAT: WE NEED TO FIGHT BACK IN EVERY WAY WE CAN.  
KARKAT: SHE'LL ALMOST DEFINITELY TRY TO EITHER RECAPTURE OR DESTROY THE CITY AND ITS FOUR MILLION RESIDENTS.  
SWIFER: Cripes!  
KARKAT: I DO HAVE A PLAN TO STOP HER, THOUGH.  
KARKAT: THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN.  
SWIFER: I see...

Swifer looks around behind her. At the end of the street is a temporary tent offering food, shelter, and medical assistance for the citizens in this block. There's a similar set up every mile or so within the city limits providing relief to a much-downtrodden population. A population that's survived the worst hardship Earth C has ever seen. Swifer knows war, but even she can scarce imagine every last face here either dead or imprisoned by the regime. It's all so much bigger when you're actually on the ground.

SWIFER: You're really sure Crocker's gunning for oblivion boss?  
KARKAT: ALMOST DEFINITELY.  
KARKAT: WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH THE CARAPACE AID NETWORKS IN THE NORTHERN CONSORT KINGDOM, EARLIER.  
KARKAT: THEY UNANIMOUSLY REPORTED CROCKER SHIPS TESTING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ON REMOTE VILLAGES, BEFORE THEY ALL WENT DARK.  
KARKAT: TAKE A LOOK, BUT I'M WARNING YOU, IT'S GODDAMN UGLY.

Karkat clicks onto another tab on the laptop. Swifer leans in and immediately wishes she hadn't. It's the charred remains of what looks like it once was a riverside turtle fishing village. There are a few scattered piles of brick that might have been buildings, but the earth around it is scorched pitch as far as the eye can see. And amid the desolation, countless bits of charred bone and carapace spread around like the scatter of a dropped bowl. She feels her dinner lurch several times over.

SWIFER: Sweet mercy. That's... that's despicable.  
KARKAT: AND ALL THOSE CORPORATE TOYS ARE BOUND RIGHT FOR US.  
SWIFER: This is just... boss, what the fuck?

Karkat folds his arms. He doesn't have anything reassuring to say. This is pretty much a worst-case scenario right here. This is Crocker playing dirtier than any of them wanted to. The time for optics must be over, then; she's curried total favour with the Human Kingdom and has no need for the other three. The brutality is dizzying, and if there was any part of Swifer that wasn't radicalised years back, it is now.

SWIFER: So what do we do about it?  
KARKAT: LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A PLAN. WE'RE GOING TO  
MEENAH: H---EY, THR-E-E ----EY-ES!

The conversation is interrupted by a couple of motorcycles pulling up with a terrible screech. The first one is disembarked by one Meenah Peixes, armed with her trident and gun and no actual protective driving gear, as opposed to the drivers of the other two bikes. She swaggers up to Karkat and wraps her arms around his neck. The glint of her Ring of Life glows brighter than the rest of the jewellery she's adorned with.

MEENAH: tf you geeking out about  
KARKAT: NICE TO SEE YOU TOO, MEENAH.  
MEENAH: i ever tell you how much of a dork your seein goggles make you  
KARKAT: ONLY EVERY TIME YOU SEE ME WEARING THEM.

Karkat takes off his glasses and stuffs them in his sylladex. He also takes a step away from Meenah, frosty despite her obvious affection. His bare eyes glow a downright imposing shade of crimson in the night.

MEENAH: hey cmon i never said they made you look ugly  
KARKAT: NO ONE SAID THAT.  
MEENAH: J-E-ESH youre cichlid tonight  
SWIFER: Cich  
MEENAH: cichlid frigid COD the fuck is WRONG with yall  
SWIFER: Is that even how you pronounce  
KARKAT: HEY, REMEMBER LIKE FIVE YEARS BACK WHEN YOU SWORE OFF FISH PUNS FOR LIFE??  
MEENAH: nope 38)  
KARKAT: WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD.

Karkat massages his temples and quirks his mouth down in a snarl. Meenah isn't wrong. He's been testy since this afternoon. Since the call from his scouts. Since Jade Harley broke the worst news Karkat could hear. Swifer purses her lips and bites down a ripple of worry. Karkat's not stopped since then in a clear move to avoid having to acknowledge the fresh grief, but she's concerned he's going to burn himself out.

MEENAH: aight cool anyway  
MEENAH: got the guys you wanted

Meenah jerks her thumb back to the two trolls standing by their bikes: a tall, willowy burgundyblood woman and a stout violetblood with a curled lip and a chunk taken out of one of his fins. Swifer blinks. She doesn't know either of them, which is understandable given the size of their army, but it does surprise her to see two unknowns being personally summoned by the top brass.

LEILIA: (omman|)er Vantas  
ASPHAN: you wanted ush?

Karkat takes in a breath, sizing up the two of them. Meenah sidles up to him as he scrutinises, towering nearly a head over him. It would be cute if their relationship was actually good and healthy, and not the weirdly uncomfortable thing that it actually is.

KARKAT: RIGHT, YES.  
KARKAT: HOW BRIEFED HAVE YOU TWO BEEN ON THE SITUATION?  
ASPHAN: i mean we shaw the broadcasht if thatsh what youre ashkin  
LEILIA: An|) I (an probably assume (ro(ker's retaliation is setting up to be rather nasty.  
LEILIA: But if you're asking for a more “in the loop” perspe(tive, then... (an't really say we have one.  
ASPHAN: yeah were jusht shome guysh and not any kind of shtrategishtsh  
KARKAT: OH.

Karkat blinks in clear surprise. Then he turns to Meenah with a frown.

KARKAT: HEY, I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO BRIEF THEM ON THE MISSION.  
MEENAH: shrug 38/  
MEENAH: was gonna get rownd to it probubbly eventunally  
KARKAT: SO YOU CHOSE NOT TO.  
MEENAH: well yeah ok!!  
MEENAH: i cba to start blabbering on aboat military shit when we were cruisin on sick as fuck cycles  
KARKAT: SO WHAT, YOU JUST INVITED THEM ON A BIKE RIDE WITHOUT OFFERING ANY KIND OF FUCKING EXPLANATION?  
LEILIA: Well, we weren't even offere|) the ri|)e.  
LEILIA: She more or less hel|) us at tri|)ent point an|) tol|) us to get the fu(k on or else.  
KARKAT: YOU'RE KIDDING.  
KARKAT: MEENAH, PLEASE TELL ME SHE'S KIDDING.  
MEENAH: eh??

Meenah gives a non-commital half shrug. Karkat rolls his eyes and massages a vein pulsing near his temple.

MEENAH: yo dont give M-E that attitude  
MEENAH: im just the bad bitch that likes krillin shit  
MEENAH: and youve been mobey as all fuck today so im so fuckin sorry if i didnt listen to any more of your self pitying backwash than i absolutely had to  
KARKAT: LOOK, I  
KARKAT: MEENAH, THIS IS A COORDINATED CONTRACTED PEOPLE'S WAR AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT.  
KARKAT: THIS IS NOT YOUR DEADLY BAD BITCH POWER FANTASY!!!  
MEENAH: coulda fooled me given how much of a lame ass youve been  
KARKAT: GOD, COULD YOU *PLEASE* BE USEFUL FOR FIVE FUCKING SECONDS!!!!!!

Karkat and Meenah are both practically snarling at each other now. This kind of hostile display's become more of a common sight in recent months, but it's never been as bad as it is today. Swifer frowns. Thank fuck Crocker cut the power to the city so the cameras aren't working. This is enough to demoralise the whole movement if it got out.

SWIFER: Um, boss, if you want, I can explain to them  
KARKAT: NO!!!!!  
KARKAT: NO, FUCK, SORRY, SWIFER. I'VE GOT THIS. I'VE GOT THIS.  
KARKAT: SORRY. IT'S BEEN A ROUGH DAY.  
LEILIA: Uh, no worries, boss?  
KARKAT: NO, SERIOUSLY, I CAN AND WILL DO BETTER.  
KARKAT: OK, ANYWAY, DOWN TO BUSINESS.

Karkat shakes his head and sets his expression to one more suited to that of a grizzled guerilla leader.

KARKAT: AFTER OUR AIRWAY HIJACK YESTERDAY, THE SITUATION HAS UNDERSTANDABLY ESCALATED.  
KARKAT: SEEING HER PRIZED CLOWN REDUCED TO A MEATPULP HAS LEFT JANE CROCKER FUCKING PISSED.  
KARKAT: SO IT SEEMS SHE'S MAKING GOOD ON HER TWENTY-FOUR HOUR THREAT.  
KARKAT: WE'RE NOT GIVING UP THE CITY, SO THE CORPORATION'S GOING TO HIT BACK HARD.  
KARKAT: THE BATTERHAG SPENT THE BEST PART OF YESTERDAY TESTING OUT JUST HOW WELL HER PRETTY LITTLE BILLION BOONDOLLAR WARSHIPS PERFORM AT TOTAL DECIMATION ON SEVERAL HAPLESS RURAL CONSORT SETTLEMENTS IN A SHOW OF FORCE THAT'S FUCKING NASTY EVEN BY OLD ALTERNIAN STANDARDS.  
KARKAT: AND THAT FLEET OF TRIGGERHAPPY AIRBORNE WARCRIMES IS BOUND RIGHT FOR US.  
KARKAT: IT'S PRETTY FUCKING CLEAR SHE'S AIMING FOR TOTAL DEMOLITION. NO SURVIVORS.  
KARKAT: BUT WE HAVEN'T JUST BEEN SITTING ON OUR ASSES AND SCRUBBING CLEAN CORPORATE ICONOGRAPHY. WE HAVE A PLAN TO FIGHT BACK.  
ASPHAN: and that plan ish?

Karkat motions to a large-looking container across from the laptop and generator. It looks like some kind of explosive device. There's a smaller copy of it sitting atop the first. In the limited light, Swifer can't quite tell what she's looking at.

KARKAT: THESE.  
KARKAT: DEFENSIVE FORCEFIELD GENERATORS SALVAGED FROM OLD SKAIAN TECH.  
KARKAT: THIS SHIT'S POTENT ENOUGH TO PROTECT AN ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM FROM PLANET-SIZED METEORITES OVER A SPAN OF SEVERAL DAYS. IT'LL EAT CROCKER'S NUCLEAR FLAMETHROWERS FOR FUCKING BREAKFAST.  
LEILIA: Holy shit?  
MEENAH: so THATS what you were fucking about with on the fuckoff massive alchemiter?  
MEENAH: you reely went and reverse engineered reckoning defense tech?? damn shouty thats impressive  
KARKAT: WELL, A LOT OF THE STUFF *WAS* LEFTOVER JUNK IN MY SYLLADEX FROM A BOTCHED STRATEGY IN THE BLACK KING FIGHT THAT WAS JUST KIND OF TAKING UP SPACE FOR THE LAST DOZEN SWEEPS.  
MEENAH: and you S-EARIOUSLY never cleaned your junk out at any point?  
KARKAT: THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT.  
KARKAT: WHAT MATTERS IS THAT ONCE THIS THING'S HOOKED UP TO A LIVE POWER SOURCE IT'LL POP UP A FORCEFIELD AROUND THE CITY THAT WILL REDIRECT ANYTHING THAT HITS IT INTO THE DEEPEST FUCKING RECESSES OF SPACE AND TIME.  
SWIFER: Woah! But, boss...  
SWIFER: Why two of them?  
KARKAT: I'LL GET TO THAT.

Karkat starts to pace up and down as he talks. Now that he's got going, he's much more like himself. But Swifer can still see the cracks in the facade. It's worked now, but will it work the next time?

KARKAT: AS I SAID, THIS THING NEEDS A LIVE POWER SOURCE TO ACTUALLY WORK.  
KARKAT: AND EVERYONE'S FAVOURITE FASCIST FUCK DID US THE SWEET COURTESY OF RIPPING THE ENTIRE CITY OFF THE GRID.  
KARKAT: SO FOR THIS TO WORK WE'LL HAVE TO TRANSPORT THEM TO THE NEAREST ACTIVE POWER STATION.  
KARKAT: FOR US, THAT'S A RELAY STATION ABOUT A MILE NORTH OF THE CITY THAT ALMOST DEFINITELY FEEDS ENERGY TO THE LOCAL CAKE MILL.  
KARKAT: HOWEVER, GOING THERE TO TRY SOMETHING IS EXACTLY WHAT CROCKER EXPECTS US TO DO. THERE IS NO DOUBT THERE'S AN AMBUSH OR A TRAP OF SOME KIND WAITING FOR US THERE.  
SWIFER: So what do we do then?  
KARKAT: SEE, LUCKILY FOR US, NOT ONLY IS CROCKER A RAGING XENOPHOBE, BUT SHE'S ALSO A FUCKING IDIOT.

Karkat comes to a stop, slapping his hand against the larger generator.

KARKAT: THIS THING NEEDS A CONSTANT *LIVE* POWER SOURCE.  
SWIFER: Which you've said...  
KARKAT: AND WHAT IS IT THAT A GOOD TEN PERCENT OF ALL TROLLS CAN INNATELY DO?

Swifer thinks about it for a second. Then she understands.

SWIFER: Oh! Oh!!! Oh that's genius boss!!!  
KARKAT: WE HAVE A PLATOON OF OVER A HUNDRED PSIONICS STATIONED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY. COLLECTIVELY, THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH JUICE TO KEEP THIS THING RUNNING FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT. LONGER, IF WE TAKE INTERMITTENT BREAKS.  
KARKAT: THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT CROCKER EXPECTS US TO DO SOMETHING.  
KARKAT: IF WE DON'T TRIGGER HER TRAP, OR DRAW HER ATTENTION SOMEHOW, SHE'LL GROW SUSPICIOUS.  
KARKAT: AND *THAT* IS WHERE YOU ALL COME IN.

Karkat then motions to the smaller generator.

KARKAT: WHILE I TAKE THE GENERATOR SOUTH, YOU THREE WILL TAKE THE DECOY GENERATOR AND HEAD NORTH.  
LEILIA: |)e(oy?  
ASPHAN: but whysh it sho big  
KARKAT: BECAUSE AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT CROCKER EXPECTS TO SEE. SOME BIG FLASHY DEVICE THAT SHE CAN CONVENIENTLY GUN DOWN.  
KARKAT: IT'S ACTUALLY A HOLLOW METAL CONTAINER SO NOTHING WILL HAPPEN IF SHE *DOES* TRY AND ATTACK IT.  
KARKAT: BUT IT SHOULD KEEP HER DISTRACTED LONG ENOUGH FOR THE REST OF US TO SET UP THE REAL DEAL.  
SWIFER: And you want *us* to give her the runabout? Why were we chosen though boss?  
KARKAT: BECAUSE WE NEED LOOKALIKE TROLLS TO GO WITH THE LOOKALIKE DEVICE.  
SWIFER: Look... alike?  
KARKAT: YES, TWO TROLLS SIMILAR ENOUGH IN STATURE TO MEENAH AND MYSELF, TO DUPE CROCKER EVEN FURTHER. ASPHAN, LEILIA, YOU TWO ARE THE CLOSEST MATCH.

Swifer takes another look at the newcomers. Now that Karkat's said it, she can't help but immediately notice the similarities. Proportion-wise, they're almost a dead-ringer for the two, even down to similarly shaped and sized horns. Of course, up close it all falls apart, but from a distance you could easily mistake the pair for Karkat and Meenah.

KARKAT: I TAKE IT YOU TWO ACCEPT THE MISSION?  
ASPHAN: courshe commander  
LEILIA: With honour. I am always rea|)y to |)o my part for this fight.  
KARKAT: GOOD.  
SWIFER: Well, they make sense, but... it still doesn't explain my role, boss.  
SWIFER: What am I to do?  
KARKAT: YOU, SWIFER, NEED TO BE YOURSELF.  
SWIFER: Oh?

Karkat takes a step towards Swifer. His face, hardened and troubled, is still painfully earnest as he addresses her.

KARKAT: SWIFER, YOU ARE ONE OF MY OLDEST AND CLOSEST ALLIES, A FACT THAT EVEN JANE CROCKER KNOWS.  
KARKAT: SEEING YOU HEADING NORTH WITH THE GENERATOR ALONG WITH THE BODY DOUBLES WILL ADD A LAYER OF AUTHENTICITY TO THE RUSE.  
SWIFER: I see, but... are you not walking your closest ally right into a trap boss?

Karkat cracks a rare confident smile.

KARKAT: DON'T WORRY. I WOULDN'T PUT YOU IN ANY REAL DANGER.  
KARKAT: HERE.

He reaches into his sylladex and pulls out three identical items – small single-button devices attached to a fibre pendant. He passes one to Swifer, then the other two to Leilia and Asphan.

KARKAT: SINGLE-USE PORTABLE TRANSPORTALIZERS. ACTIVATE THEM EITHER WHEN THE BARRIER GOES UP, OR WHEN YOU FEEL YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER.  
KARKAT: THEY'RE PROGRAMMED TO SEND YOU TO THE SOUTH-SIDE BASE.  
KARKAT: I WANT YOU ALL BACK ALIVE, OKAY?  
SWIFER: Understood, boss.

Swifer nods furiously, slipping the device around her neck. She nervously fiddles with it, considers the possibility of activating it too soon, and swiftly reconsiders.

KARKAT: YOU'LL TAKE THE BIKES AND FOLLOW THE MAIN ROADS NORTH. THERE'S A PATH CLEARED FOR YOU UP TO THE CITY LIMITS.  
KARKAT: FROM THERE, THE HIGHWAY SHOULD TAKE YOU TO THE RELAY STATION. DRIVE AROUND IT BUT DO *NOT* DISEMBARK ANYWHERE NEAR IT, UNDERSTOOD?  
LEILIA: Got it.  
KARKAT: THERE ARE STRAPS ATTACHED TO THE DECOY GENERATOR. ASPHAN, YOU'LL BE WEARING IT AS YOU DRIVE.  
ASPHAN: hear you loud and clear  
KARKAT: MEENAH AND I WILL TAKE THE REAL GENERATOR AND HEAD TO THE RENDEZVOUS ON FOOT. YOU'LL KNOW WHEN THE FORCEFIELD IS ACTIVATED.  
KARKAT: AS SOON AS YOU SEE IT, ACTIVATE YOUR TRANSPORTALIZERS.  
KARKAT: DO NOT ENGAGE THE ENEMY UNLESS STRICTLY NECESSARY, HEAR ME?  
SWIFER: Roger!  
KARKAT: NOW GET GOING. CROCKER WARSHIPS HAVE AN ETA OF SIXTY MINUTES. THE FORCEFIELD WILL BE READY IN THIRTY.

Mission handed out, Swifer and the others board their respective motorcycles. Asphan wobbles a little, trying to adjust to the huge empty crate on his back, but he flashes a thumbs-up a few seconds later.

LEILIA: We're |)eparting now  
ASPHAN: ready to go  
SWIFER: Yep! See you soon boss!  
KARKAT: REMEMBER, STICK TO THE PLAN.  
KARKAT: AND...  
KARKAT: STAY SAFE, OK?

With that last bit of advice, the three take off. The bikes are pretty powerful things, gliding through the city streets with the ease of a jet. They practically drive themselves. As Karkat said, the main north road is free of any barricades or obstructions, but Swifer does spot supplies outside of quite a few hivestems, probably ready to be deployed the minute they're out of the city. It somehow reassures her, even though if all goes well they won't need it. The streets themselves are pretty empty, too, but whether that's down to a direct order or just coincidence isn't clear.

Swifer dares to glance back behind her. They've turned a few corners by now, so the square she was at isn't visible any more. Still, she casts her mind to Karkat and the seed of doubt rolling around in her stomach. It's not a lack of faith in the plan, per se – she's been around long enough to know all about the impossible powers of Skaian tech – but rather a nagging worry about the wellbeing of the revolution's leader. Despite the gruff charisma and tactical genius, there's something genuinely sad and lonely about Karkat. It doesn't need saying what the cause is. Swifer just hopes he addresses this heartache instead of running away from it for another decade.

LEILIA: Gate's up ahea|).  
ASPHAN: roger

The radio in Swifer's headset crinkles with chatter. She looks up in front of her and sees the large reinforced gates that make up the city's northern border. It's a recent invention by Crockercorp to stifle free movement of the people and keep a rather downtrodden population in place. No doubt it's also there to prevent wandering eyes from sniffing out the cake mill that lies hidden somewhere in the nearby region. Not even the revolution's located it yet, but after hearing the whispers about what goes down in there, they're determined to do so more than ever. But before they can even begin to liberate the political prisons stroke labour camps, they have to secure a safezone. Tonight is the proving moment for that.

ASPHAN: requeshting acceshsh on directive from commander vantash

In response, there's a squelch of affirmative through the comm channel. The gate slides open with a laborious effort that betrays how they were never designed to be reopened once shut. A skeleton staff of two guards waves the party through the checkpoint, clenching their guns just that little bit tighter. The whole city's on edge. Even if they don't know the specifics, they know something's coming.

The three of them hit the highway two minutes later. Behind them, the northern gates are shut once more. Swifer looks around, almost dizzy at the amount of open space cast under the moon's hazy glow. The majority of her life's been spent either underground or indoors. Seeing the entire world unfold before her inspires a sense of awe that takes her right back to her years as a young teenage brooding apprentice when she laid eyes on the mother grub for the first time. In front of her, the road seems to stretch on forever, and to her side, fields of grass rise and fold well into the blanket of night.

SWIFER: It's all so big.  
LEILIA: The troll king|)om *is* the se(on|) largest (ontinent, so I imagine it is.  
SWIFER: I know, but, golly, I've never seen it in the flesh like this!  
LEILIA: Really? And you're, what, fifteen sweeps?  
ASPHAN: shhesh one of the attendeesh of the mother grub of courshe shhesh not been out in the world much  
ASPHAN: right?  
SWIFER: Y-yes, that's correct.  
SWIFER: But good grief are you whippersnappers making me feel old with all that talk!

Sometimes she still feels like the girl who'd swif the floors with all her heart, when her biggest worries were whether or not she could swif away the fuchsia brooding slime before it left too nasty a stain. Hard to think that that was so long ago. By no means is she old, even by rather frail human aging standards, and in terms of a troll's lifespan she's barely even getting started, but right now she's feeling each year like a ton-weight on her chest. She doesn't long for an imperfect past, but she does fervently wish for a better future until her stomach aches. What gets her down is just how long they've all been at this fight for, and how long they may yet be fighting for still.

LEILIA: Oh, (ome on, you're so tight with the (reators that you might as well be immortal by asso(iation.  
ASPHAN: yeah shay corny old shhit like whippershnappersh all you like it doeshnt make you old  
SWIFER: Well you seem to have got me there!  
LEILIA: Lol.

Swifer laughs through her mic. It's almost dizzying how good it makes her feel. Takes the edge off the nerves that have been eating at her on the inside.

LEILIA: ETA of five minutes before the relay station |)rive-by.  
SWIFER: Roger.  
ASPHAN: jeeshh whatsh taking the commander sho long

Asphan swivels his head back to snatch a glance at the city. With the lights out, it looks so looming and imposing, a sharp reminder of the fortress architecture that guided Alternian architecture. They've been driving for a while now, and it doesn't seem to have shrunken at all.

SWIFER: I'm sure boss is nearly ready to get things going right...  
SWIFER: Around...  
SWIFER: ...Oh shit.

Without warning, she sees them. Emerging from the blanket fold of the night, a fleet of crimson warships that mark the sky like bleeding pockmarks. She can see maybe a dozen or so of them circling the outside of the city, spork cannons aimed inwards.

LEILIA: Trouble up ahead, too.

Swifer turns her head around. In the sky ahead of them she sees even more ships drifting towards Outglut^2. Over the roar of her bike engine, Swifer can't hear anything, but even if she could she would hear nothing. Crockercorp has done nothing if not perfect human stealth tech. The ships are only uncloaked to make an impression.

SWIFER: That sure is a lot of

Then Swifer realises that Leilia was not talking about the warships. There's a strip of spikes on the asphalt that she doesn't notice right up until the moment when all three of them have their tyres blown out. The bike wobbles and screeches out of control for a distance of maybe a hundred feet before flinging Swifer off it and to the ground. She skids along the road for a few seconds longer, flopping and spinning and coming to a very sore heap just outside the relay station.

SWIFER: Ah... ouch.

It takes a few slow and painful seconds before she can pull herself upright. She sees Leilia staggering to stand, using her bike as a crutch and clutching her left arm in a worrying way. A little further ahead, Asphan writhes helplessly atop the crate like an upturned crab.

SWIFER: Is... is anyone seriously hurt?  
LEILIA: Fu(k, my shooting arm's wre(ke|).  
SWIFER: I... I think I'm good. Probably gonna bruise like a rotten fruit but everything's still working.

She lets out a grunt of pain as she stands to her feet. Okay, maybe she's overextending the definition of bruising to the pain in her back that tries its darnedest to suck the breath out of her, but the point still stands. She's not dead, and she can move.

ASPHAN: shomeone  
ASPHAN: pleashe  
ASPHAN: little help  
SWIFER: On it.

Swifer hurries over to where Asphan flails around as fast as her body permits it. Poor guy's suspended a good three feet off the ground, suspended by the straps around his shoulders. Swifer reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a folding knife. She makes quick work of slashing the straps in half. Asphan flops off the crate and hits the ground with a sharp grunt. Swifer extends him a hand to grab onto as he stands up. He's bleeding from one nostril and there's a ring of bruises on one half of his face, but other than that he doesn't seem much worse for wear.

ASPHAN: fuck thanksh  
SWIFER: Don't mention it.  
SWIFER: Anyway, we gotta help Leilia. Think she's in a bad way.  
ASPHAN: shhit yeah letsh move

Asphan and Swifer jog over to Leilia, who's shuddering with the exertion of just standing. Her face is scrunched up in in agonised wince that makes it clear there is something very wrong.

SWIFER: Hey, Leilia, how you holding up?  
LEILIA: I—I'm  
LEILIA: Fu(k, I think my leg

She doesn't finish. From a mile down the road, there's a soft imploding _pop_ , and then all three watch in awe as a pulsing bubble of light expands to wrap around the city at the exact moment that the warships open fire. Just as Karkat said, the flamethrowers and bombs and missiles and whatever else is in Crocker's arsenal are all swallowed up by rapidfire spirograph portals that gulp them down then vanish, distributing them who the fuck knows when and where. Right above their heads, a single column of fire ricochets between two portals before disappearing.

ASPHAN: holy shhit  
LEILIA: It's—it's beautiful.

Asphan's mouth is agape as he stares at the fireworks erupting over the city. He wraps one arm around Leilia as he stares at the rebellion's living miracle, bearing as much of her weight as he can. Swifer can't peel her eyes away from it either, staring haplessly as the colours and lights flicker and glow and die and pulse and start again and the skyscrapers beneath the dome remain wholly untouched. It's so absorbing, it's like watching a universe birth before her eyes, enthralling in a way that makes nothing else matter.

*bang* *bang*

Until, abruptly and sharply, it suddenly does again.

It takes two clean shots from behind with a little handgun to kill Leilia and Asphan. They crumple like paper into a puddle of tangled limbs awash with red and purple. Swifer lets out a horrified yelp, spinning around as she blindly draws her own handgun, inwardly fuming because _how the fuck did she forget about the relay station_

JANE: Harumph! I should have known Vantas was too much of a coward to face me directly. Of course the skittering fool would send lackeys.  
SWIFER: Y  
SWIFER: You!!!

Impossibly, terribly, it's Jane Crocker herself that strides from the shadows of the relay station, dressed in a bulletproof variation on her trademark crimson power suit. She twirls a little pocket pistol and her face is flat with boredom and disappointment.

JANE: Hi deary. Broomstick or somesuch, right?  
SWIFER: You just!! You just killed them!!  
JANE: Why, I would like to hope so! We are opposing soldiers in a war.  
SWIFER: B-but!! But!!!! Why are you even out here!!!  
JANE: Oh, yes. I suppose I can indulge you for a moment, before you no doubt tuck your tail between your legs and scarper back to your dear fearless leader.  
JANE: Of course, there was the chance the troll himself would make an appearance tonight, but I never counted on it.  
JANE: To be honest, I just wanted to see the spectacle from the ground level, hoo hoo! :B

Swifer's mouth goes dry, and she very nearly flings herself at the woman before she remembers the transportalizer sitting against her collarbone. Desperately, violently, she pulls it out, slamming her palm against the button hard enough that her knuckles crack. Nothing happens.

SWIFER:  
JANE: Hm. You really think we wouldn't imagine to deploy a few good old fashioned EMPs the moment we noticed you barrelling, well beyond the speed limit might I add, towards us? My, my, what a rookie mistake!  
JANE: Seriously, where _does_ he get off thinking _this_ is an acceptable way to raise an army?

Swifer takes less than a second to calculate her next move. She lets out a desperate, feral roar, and flings herself in Jane's direction, everything else be fucking damned.

SWIFER: RRAAGHH!! DIE!!!!! _DIE!!!!!!!!!!_  
JANE: Now, we'll be having none of that.

Jane raises her gun. It will take her two seconds to fire the shot. Swifer will be on her in one and a half. Trolls' teeth are sharp. She can tear out Jane's jugular before Jane can push her off. No doubt at all the death will be Just.

Except, the shot that gets Swifer doesn't come from Jane. It comes from a sniper stationed on the relay station roof. A single shot, straight through the back of her neck, severing her spinal cord. Swifer's mouth parts in shock. She pukes out a single gob of jade blood that smears across Jane's suit, then she collapses to the floor, suddenly unable to move her body, unable to do anything but look up at Jane's disdainful, hateful, _evil_ face in the oscillating lights of warfare.

JANE: Such a shame. You made darn good tea.  
JANE: Well, an eye for an eye. A comrade for a comrade.

Jane tuts, puts one hand on her hip, and uses the other to point the gun downwards. She pulls the trigger.

Mercifully, Swifer doesn't feel the bullet kill her. Instead, what she feels is everything else, all the war and light and noise and colours and mayhem, feels it all wash together in a nauseating spiral, coalesce in a screaming peak of infinity, and then collapse into the dark.


	4. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: Violence (Section 5, section 6)
> 
> CHAPTER STATUS: 6/8 SECTIONS COMPLETE
> 
> Just gonna say that the day this chapter goes up (2020/10/07) is the one year anniversary of Omelette Route! Happy birthday to Omelette Route! Crazy to think how this story evolved from a simple Junefic to the beast it's becoming today.

i.

John Egbert returns to his old house for the first time in nearly a week with something equating to heaviness sitting on his chest. He drives his dad's old car, or some version of it, and the last set of house keys rest in his shirt pocket. A lot has changed in his life in just a few short days, but this old wound aches fresh as the day it was made.

Harry sits beside him, fiddling away at his phone. He's running a masking app sent courtesy of the revolution to allow them to travel under the radar like this, and also texting his girlfriend at the same time. But when he sees that they've stopped, he lifts his head up and looks at John.

HARRY: we're here?  
JOHN: yeah.

Harry cranes his head to glance out the windshield. An oddly neutral expression crosses his face as he looks at John's old house.

HARRY: so this is where you used to live?  
HARRY: like, this is actually a house older than our entire universe?  
JOHN: yep. did i really never take you here before?  
HARRY: no, you didn't.

Harry lifts his phone and snaps a pic of the place. Somehow, this curious indifference on his son's part gives John the courage to make his next move.

JOHN: how long did you say we have?  
HARRY: staying in one place gives us about thirty minutes before we're detected.  
JOHN: a half hour. got it.  
JOHN: you coming with?

John's not sure what exactly he feels when Harry shakes his head.

HARRY: nah. i'll hang back in the car.  
HARRY: gonna try calling vris again to get to the bottom of some of the weird shit she's been saying.  
JOHN: ah, ok then.  
HARRY: i also think this is a stupidly dangerous thing to do, dad.  
HARRY: we could've been at the rendezvous point by last night.  
JOHN: yeah, i know, but i owe them to try once more.  
HARRY: just don't take too long.

With the end of that conversation, John opens the car door and sets his feet on solid ground for the first time in nearly fifteen hours. He's spent longer periods of time in the air over the course of the last few decades of life on Earth C, but this time he feels some of the tension balled in his body scatter down into the asphalt. They've spent the best part of the last two days skirting across the continent, stopping only for as short as possible and only for the most essential of reasons to keep totally incognito. Since dipping out of the Human Kingdom, they didn't dare stop again until they reached their destination, in one of the most grueling and stressful journeys of John's life. It felt like they'd never get here, and yet... He swallows and looks up at the house. It seems to stand infinitely tall, the phantom Skaian obelisk looming down over the phantom thirteen year old boy. In the scheme of everything, Sburb feels like an ancient wound. But it still bleeds.

The house itself is pretty much untouched from when he was last here. No sign of any spying, snooping, or surveillance that wasn't already going down. For better or worse, they overestimated Jane's vested interest in her husband and son compared to her vested interest in committing war crimes over in the Troll Kingdom. But assaults like that seen last night can't be sustained. Eventually she'll be bored enough to use them as some kind of political leverage, or take advantage of the fact that Jake's defection is still a secret, or something. He feels it deep down that this is Jake and Tavros's only chance to get out of dodge before ending up under the corporate bootheel.

To John's relief, the front door is locked. He notices the curtains around the front room are drawn shut, but he does see the flicker of the television screen playing off the fabric. It's such a mundane image, but it feels wrong seeing it from the outside, from within this specific house. Unseen ghosts crawl over his skin like a million black holes have opened up inside his body. It's the same as it's always been, yet so very fundamentally different in a way he can't quite articulate.

John goes to knock on the door then remembers the keys in his pocket. He fishes them out, slots them in, and steps out of the morning light and into the shade of the entryway.

JOHN: hello? jake? tavros? it's me.  
JOHN: it's john.

He doesn't get a response. His voice doesn't really carry over the blaring of the consort news channel and the ragtime music that fills every inch of the house. The walls hum with the acoustics and he can barely think. It's so loud that there's definitely zero chance of a listening device picking up anything. It's a surprisingly paranoid move from Jake English, who at the best of times can't be counted on to willingly see past his own nose.

But it doesn't pose much of a problem for John. He rolls out a small breeze that loops around the house, picking up on any exchange of breath within the building. He senses two sets of lungs working away directly above him, one full and brash, one pulsing out in soft whispers.

JOHN: i'm coming up!

He knows they won't hear it, but he's struck by the sudden urge to speak out. Like all the noise in the house is filtering back through itself to produce an empty, nullifying silence. The kind of silence that only exists on the knife's edge terminus of the universe. He barely feels stable in his own skin as he floats up the stairs towards the respiratory beacons.

The breeze takes him to a room at the end of the upstairs hallway. A door that's remained shut for all the years that he's been on this planet. His father's room, like a lot of things, is one of many demons John meant to face but never did. He kept the door shut as a kind of buffer between himself and the unprocessed grief churning away like tar. Somewhere in the marriage and the misery and the swamp of ennui the moment to deal with it passed. The door doesn't fill him with what it used to when he was spending the best part of his early twenties fermenting in the room across the way, but it fills him with something else. A kind of strangeness at the idea of encroaching on a long-dead domestic partiarch's territory. A sense that this is a place to which he doesn't belong.

John has the sense to realise it's not some kind of self-induced mythologising of this living space as an untouchable realm. He knows it's just a room. He knows it's just him bringing the baggage. Jake and Tavros are talking away on the other side of the door. Harry Anderson is waiting anxiously outside. The world is bigger than whatever hangups this old house induces in him.

He shakes his head and strains to listen. He can't quite make out what Jake and Tavros are saying on the other side of the door. Jake sounds animated. Tavros sounds cautious, but also more invested than John's maybe ever heard the boy. Maybe they've finally had a breakthrough in their terse sixteen-year-long father and son relationship. It twists at John, leaving him feeling... something.

With a deliberately steady hand, John pushes open the door to his father's old room. Jake leans back on the bed, chatting with a series of animated hand gestures. Tavros sits at the work desk, phone in hand, listening attentively. He notices John first, snapping his head up with a small gasp.

TAVROS: U-uncle john!  
JOHN: heh, hi, tavros. jake.  
TAVROS: Sorry for, flinching like that, uncle john,  
TAVROS: You simply managed to sneak up on me, in a totally undetectable way,,  
JOHN: i mean, given all the noise, it's no wonder i managed it.  
TAVROS: My apologies, uncle john,  
TAVROS: Father and i figured, following the events of last night,, that mother,,,  
TAVROS: That she would absolutely, activate any latent listening devices,, to further her aims,,  
TAVROS: It is a precaution,, against having our sedition, end up being detected,  
JOHN: huh. that's... actually really smart of you, tavros.  
TAVROS: Thank you,, i was inspired by,, all the years, of living in mother's gated community, and evading the watchful eye,, of a terribly persistent jester,,,

Tavros does that sad little wince that he does whenever he reminisces on the myriad traumas rattling around his poor brain. John thinks back to what Harry told him about Gamzee's sticky hand in the boy's upbringing and beyond, and feels his empty stomach lurch.

TAVROS: Which is, um,, funny to consider,, given g,, uncle gamzee's,, apparent demise,

His face contorts in a strange way. John thinks he might be trying to laugh.

TAVROS: H-ha,, ha ha,, i sure am experiencing,, a great deal of complicated emotions,, at the news of his passing,  
TAVROS: Emotions which, i am certain, i should not bother you with, uncle john,  
JOHN: hey, no, that's... if you want to talk, i am more than capable of listening.  
JOHN: also, i'm pretty sure there are therapists in the rebellion, so i can ask rose and kanaya to find someone to help you?  
TAVROS: The,,,?

Tavros's eye's go wide. Whoops. Guess that's a bombshell dropped right there. Meanwhile, Jake is still prattling away, none the wiser to events going on literally only like three feet away from him.

JAKE: So like i said tavvy id wager theres a good bet that jane never fixed that gaping hole in the drones armour for “budget expenditure” reasons, so when they come a knockin we should be able to  
JAKE: Erm tavros are you even still listening??

Jake looks up from his fiddling hands and notices John standing there. When he does, he very nearly leeps out of his skin.

JAKE: Jeepers christmas! John! When did you get here?  
JOHN: yes, hi, jake. i've been here for, like, maybe five minutes? literally talking to tavros?  
JOHN: how did you NOT notice me?  
JAKE: My bad old sport you know how i get when im waist deep in some good old fashioned machinations!

John doesn't, considering that this past month is the first time he's really had anything to do with Jake in almost thirteen years. But he nods anyway.

JAKE: Suppose that proves you to be the superior man of this house eh john? Bet you could snuff out every twitch down to the precise floorboard!  
JOHN: ha ha, um... yeah. ok.

The way Jake says that sends a funny little stab down John's chest. Maybe it's the spectre of the last man of the house lingering, a strange insecurity that screams at him he'll never match up to that kind of role. Lest anyone forget, for all his recent epiphanies, John Egbert has still not sought out professional help.

JOHN: anyway, i came here for a reason.  
JOHN: as you probably definitely know, harry anderson and i are now officially rebels.  
TAVROS: I see,, i mean, i already heard about it, but it's strange, to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak,  
JAKE: Yes it is mighty surprising given your total noncommital stance vis a vis the general political situation.  
JOHN: well, we have harry to thank for that. the crocker drones hunted him for his connection with “known rebels” so i didn't really have much of a choice.  
JAKE: Of course! A mans gotta do whats best for his boy right??  
JOHN: ...right.

John breathes out, letting another wave of awkwardness wash off him like a wind shear across his shoulder blades. Yes, he's defected to protect Harry, but has he really earned back the right to be the boy's father? Do either of them even _want_ the textbook father-son relationship? He doesn't know. These aren't really questions to be considering at this precise moment in time.

JOHN: so anyway, after a bunch of things happening, harry and i got in touch with the rebellion. we were given a time and place to rendezvous later on today.  
JOHN: i'm here, because, well... i'm asking you two to join us. to defect, officially.  
TAVROS: To,,,?  
JAKE: Eh? Join the rebels?

Jake stands up, shaking his head. He's always so much larger and beefier than John remembers him to be. Probably due to the fact that for the longest time Jake was the weak simpering yes man to the Crocker agenda. How long has it been since the man stood on his own two feet?

JAKE: Johnnyboy i dont know if the extended time spent six thousand above has rattled your noggin but...  
JAKE: Tavvy and i are absolutely top candidates for the rebel hit list! I understand were certainly enemies of janes by now, but i dont know that wed be much safer among the revolutionaries!  
TAVROS: He does raise a good point, uncle john,  
JOHN: i know, i get that, totally. but you'll be with us! and besides, it's jade and rose and everyone! i'm sure they'll forgive you.  
JAKE: Erm, well, john. Do you actually know what i *did*?  
JAKE: John i was responsible for hundreds of state sanctioned televised executions pretty sure that makes me a war criminal.  
TAVROS: And i was, certainly poster boy, for the regime's propaganda films, for a long time, so,, my face, kind of, has connotations,,,  
JOHN: and?

Jake and Tavros stare at John in astonishment.

JAKE: What do you mean “and”??? John the only fate for a man like me among the rebels is a bullet to the skull!  
JOHN: huh. you've changed your tune from when we spoke the other day. if i recall, you were all for joining the cause.  
JAKE: Yes well... Ive been ruminating on the matter and its not as simple as id like it to be.  
JAKE: Mainly i fear for my boys safety. I dont care what they do to me but tavvy doesnt deserve to be put in harms way.

His eyes burn with a fierce devotion that John has never seen before. He gets the sense that something has shifted within Jake on an internal level.

JOHN: look, jake, i... i know them. WE know them. i also know that any revolution would be colossally stupid to not take advantage of the enemy's own family defecting.  
JOHN: you and i both know that jane's only gonna escalate, and do you really trust her to be kinder on tavros than karkat would be?

It's a low blow, but it makes its mark. There are shadows in both their eyes that speak of horrors John can only begin to fathom.

JAKE: ...Shit john you know how much i desire to well and truly stick it to jane at nearly any cost. Youre right. Youre absolutely right.  
JAKE: I should have more faith. Im jake friggin english for crying out loud! Having excessive faith in stuff is basically my entire thing!  
JAKE: Hoo by gum before i reconsider it im gonna say it! Im in!  
TAVROS: I also,, think that, if my immediate safety is guaranteed, the rebels,, will certainly be the most appealing offer, of the two,,  
TAVROS: And i think, that i would like to prove, that i am my own person who, unlike mother,,, actually developed a sense of empathy, toward the plight of the oppressed,,,  
TAVROS: Even if,, nothing is directly my fault,, someone in this bloodline, has to assist in the reparations efforts,,

They both look at him, determined. John smiles.

JOHN: yeah! that's the spirit!  
JOHN: now, i already floated the idea to rose, so there shouldn't be too many awkward questions.  
JOHN: harry's waiting in the car parked out the front, so we should get back to him and go

He's interrupted by a sudden harsh buzz in his pocket that cuts through the ambient din of Jake's counter-surveillance measures. He fishes his phone out and sees the name of a contact on his screen he'd never have expected in a million years.

JOHN: jade??  
JADE: john

Her voice is flat. Immediately a swelling feeling of dread rises up in the pit of his stomach.

JOHN: are you ok?  
JADE: no im not  
JADE: john look theres something i have to tell you  
JADE: i have really really bad news  
JOHN: jade?

The line goes quiet for a second. All he can make out on the other end is crackled sniffing intermixed with the occasional dog whine. He looks up and exchanges a troubled look with Jake. Then Jade gets back to him.

JADE: its about dave

ii.

Attending funerals is awkward. Attending the funeral of an estranged sort-of family member you never really knew in the middle of an active warzone is even worse. It's the permeable sense of sadness in the air, the way you feel it wash over your skin with an unpleasant flush, but the way it never truly enters you. It's the way it feels to be the only person dry-eyed at the wake.

Dave Strider-Harley's burial takes place in a small church about fifty miles out into the Troll Kingdom's countryside. Formerly a place of worship for practising members of the creed of the Sufferer, the windows are now blown out and the inside looted of any holy artifacts, and there aren't nearly enough pews for all the mourners to take a seat. These are not the same grounds that the passing of his ecto father, and the passing and subsequent unpassing of the alt version of his wife-turned-cherub god, occurred. There is no air of ceremony in this tiny place. But the congregation carries an air of solemnity to it all the same, perhaps the most gravity out of all the funerals so far.

Tavros Crocker stands at the back of the church, watching on uncomfortably as Rose Lalonde opens the eulogising with a speech that falls somewhere between heartfelt rhetoric and over-indulgent poetry. He sees his father and his uncle John shedding tears somewhere near the front. Jade Harley openly howls into Kanaya Maryam's mourning blouse. The sorrow is palpable among the tiny congregation of Earth C's brightest and greatest. He never knew Dave beyond hazy memories of the man attending childhood birthdays and his occasional appearance on television. He can't say he feels the gravity of the loss any more than any other passing stranger's death. His mother never had a kind word for those who turned their backs on her, and at the end, Dave Strider-Harley was as much a state enemy as anyone else.

Even more prominent is the absence of those closest to him. Unlike the last Strider funeral, only five of Dave's friends managed to make it. And even then, at this point Jake English was little more than a complicit enemy in the Crocker regime. Karkat Vantas is otherwise too occupied on the front lines of defending Outglut^2 somewhere to the north, and the last two of Earth C's gods, Roxy Lalonde and Calliope, are nowhere to be seen. It's sad and quiet and desperate to see such a great man laid to rest in a tiny hollowed out church carcass among a literal handful of friends.

ROSE: “Just as certain as the sun's ascension is the fact of its own extinguishing”, wrote Dave in his textual epic “sweet bro and hella jeff: this time the story book edition”. Never before has his own prose felt so apt, and yet, so haunting.  
ROSE: He was so much to all of us. A brother, a husband, a friend. His presence was that which one could not help but take for granted, as sturdy and as reliable as the clock's ticks betwixt the tocks. And yet, our Knight of Time found that which defines him so terribly cut short. And I...  
ROSE: I...  
ROSE: Forgive me a moment, friends.

Rose pulls out a handkerchief to dab at her tears. Her expression remains flat and stoic, mouth in a precisely cultured straight line. She does not sob, but only because she is too much in control of her emotions to allow such a thing.

KANAYA: If You Need A Moment Dear We Can Take Five Minutes  
KANAYA: This Ceremony Is Only Between Us I Am Sure None Would Begrudge An Intermission  
ROSE: No, Kanaya, I...

Rose waves a hand and smiles sadly.

ROSE: God, look at me. Crying at _Dave's_ funeral of all places.  
ROSE: This is hardly an ironic sendoff for a man self-proclaimed to be poisoned by the stuff. He... this isn't in the spirit of what he wanted. This is not how my own brother, my own flesh and blood...

But it's a weak effort. Rose Lalonde starts to cry again, loud and heavy and undignified. He hasn't thought about it before, but Tavros notices that Rose is the only one of her family left standing in the room. Two of the four Strilondes are dead. The third missing. Never before has such a powerful woman looked so lonely.

The crying spills out into an affair that lasts for one, for two, for five minutes. It's an infectious dirge that hums among the mourners, a kind of character-breaking sound that shatters all under the pressure of the grief. It's been so long since Tavros saw anyone cry in earnest that he isn't sure what to do. Luckily, he isn't the only one.

HARRY: hey, tav...  
HARRY: this is kinda awkward to watch.

Harry Anderson Egbert leans against the cracked wall a few feet away from Tavros with a flinching frown and folded arms. He's dressed in the same outfit he's been wearing for the last couple of days, ever since his daring escape from the authorities. Tavros looks at himself. Neither of them are really dressed for a funeral, so to speak. Then again, after John's phone call, it all happened so quickly. Suddenly Jade Harley was there teleporting the four of them (plus Egbert family car) to this tiny church in the middle of nowhere, and they were all filed in for the unexpected funeral.

TAVROS: I, understand, why you'd think something like that,  
TAVROS: But, harry anderson,, was he not, a cherished family member to you, too?  
HARRY: that's...

Harry looks to one side. His face is conflicted.

HARRY: i dunno. yeah i saw uncle dave for birthdays and holidays and stuff, but...  
HARRY: he was always just kind of “there”. mom didn't really let him have much time with me, like she was almost kind of scared of me getting close to the other gods.  
HARRY: like... i'd be protected from the political situation if she kept me away from its major actors. which... yeah.  
HARRY: anyway. i can't say what i had with him qualifies as any kind of relationship. he was just a sad weirdo relative i saw on and off until we moved in with jane.  
HARRY: so, like, objectively it's sad, but... it's not MY loss, you feel me?  
TAVROS: I, suppose, you make a certain amount of sense,,  
HARRY: besides...

He glances over to the gaggle of sobbing adults. His expression sinks further.

HARRY: seeing them all like this, in this level of emotional pain, kind of blows?  
HARRY: like, they're all sad, but there's nothing i can do to improve things, and i definitely don't like how that one makes me feel.  
HARRY: not gonna lie. it's pretty damn awful seeing dad torn up to shit over the death of like his longest standing friend. but then i see him there and i just...  
HARRY: well, we kind of made up, but i still have so much baggage there that i don't even know where to begin sorting it all out. then i look at him again, standing there with jake, and i...  
HARRY: then all i think is why the fuck isn't mom here? she loved uncle dave more than anything, and she's not...  
HARRY: look, if i'm gonna be honest, i feel a lot of things that i'm pretty sure are absolutely contradictory towards people whose positions in my life i always took for granted. it's weird and not at all what i signed up for.

Harry lets out a sigh. He furrows his brows, then looks up to Tavros.

HARRY: so... yeah. i'd rather get out of here.  
TAVROS: I mean, what you're saying does resonate, rather clearly,  
TAVROS: I, too, have a variety of feelings, with varying degrees of complexity, towards everyone else presently in this room,, blood relatives certainly included,,,  
TAVROS: Only, would it not be,, disrespectful to the deceased,,, to just walk out on a funeral?  
HARRY: i dunno. pretty sure dave wouldn't give a shit. guy used to be cool about stuff like that before he became depressed and also majorly estranged from us.  
HARRY: it just feels like we really don't belong here.  
TAVROS: Well, i wouldn't say that i especially don't feel like, a fish out of water,  
HARRY: i mean, if you wanna stay, that's fine, but i'm heading out. you can come with if you want.  
HARRY: but if you wanna stay and watch the funeral, then be my guest.

Harry motions to the front of the room, to where Rose, Jade, and Kanaya are apparently all standing hand in hand with tears flowing freely down their cheeks.

JADE: even now when i look at his coffin i just...  
JADE: i want to rip it open and scream at him until he tells me why he had to leave me  
JADE: but i know im not getting a response from him  
JADE: i know hes never gonna say anything to anyone again  
JADE: ive never loved and hated someone so much at the same time  
JADE: all i want is closure but theres not even that  
JADE: daves dead and thats all there is to say on the matter :(  
JADE: whine

Jade nearly crumples to the floor, but the firm grasp of the Maryam-Lalondes is the only thing keeping her in place. The ordeal shows no sign of lightening up, or stopping, any time soon. Tavros looks back to Harry.

TAVROS: Well, erm, upon further consideration,  
TAVROS: I think it would be the best course of action for me, to accompany you outside, to a place that is definitely not this place,  
HARRY: ok, cool.  
HARRY: let's go.

Harry takes the lead, pushing open one of the church's large double doors with considerable effort. It creaks and groans with every inch it moves, but the procession up front pays it no heed. Tavros slips out through the doorway amid the chorus of misery, followed swiftly by Harry. The door slams shut behind them with a bang that causes Tavros to flinch something terribly, but does nothing to dissuade the mourners.

Outside, it's one of those warm-ish days where the air is still and a layer of almost-white clouds chokes the sky. There's a tiny parking lot next to the church, occupied solely by the Egbert sedan, a large billboard-esque sign advertising the church with a scorched chunk taken out of it. and a dirt road that winds down the hill towards the nearest settlement. Tavros has never been in the Troll Kingdom before. It looks so similar, yet so different, from that which he knows.

Harry walks over to the car, pulling out his phone as he does so. Tavros nervously trots after him.

TAVROS: So, erm, what is it, that you plan to do?  
TAVROS: Since, knowing you, i am highly skeptical, that it is to just wait out by the car until it is all over,,  
HARRY: well, you'd be right, then, tav.

Harry lifts his phone to show a wall of text in varying shades of blue.

HARRY: i've been in touch with vrissy. she's the one who got us in with the rebels, you know.  
HARRY: pretty cool of her, right?  
TAVROS: Well, it certainly seems like, a thing she would boast to be capable of doing,  
HARRY: so anyway, we were all meant to meet up, like, earlier on. but then dad decided to take you and jake along for the ride and then, well... you know. the funeral and stuff.  
HARRY: so the plan's changed, obviously.  
TAVROS: I can see that,  
TAVROS: So, harry anderson, what is it that's going down, now?  
HARRY: ok, so.

Harry raises a finger as he gets into the whole dramatic narration bit.

HARRY: it's definitely kind of complicated to explain, and also vris hasn't told me all the details,  
HARRY: but she's met up with a bunch of, like, really high profile rebels? or “incredi8ly Epic Heroes” in her words.  
TAVROS: Uh huh,,,  
HARRY: we were originally gonna meet up with her and these heroes or whoever, then meet up with her moms and join the rebellion that way. but then uncle dave went and died.  
TAVROS: That's a way,, of putting it,  
HARRY: so now they're gonna come to us. vrissy's moms sent her a transportalizer code for cavalreap so we can all meet up after the funeral.  
TAVROS: Cavalreap,,,?  
HARRY: uh, yeah. the town that's like, an hour down the road?

As if to emphasise his point, Harry motions to a sign on the other side of the road. It's written in Alternian, obviously, but beneath it the words are translated as “CAVALREAP – 66 MILES EAST”.

TAVROS: I see,  
TAVROS: Sorry, harry anderson, but me not knowing about the troll kingdom, didn't stop from being a thing that happened, or anything,,  
HARRY: well, ok, whatever. the point is, that's where vrissy's gonna be waiting for her moms to get her.  
TAVROS: And i'm assuming right, that you wish to get there first, and meet her there?

Harry gives a droll smile.

HARRY: tavros crocker, if i didn't know better, i'd say we were vaguely-defined relatives who grew up together.  
TAVROS: Um, well, you did always tend to sneak out of the estates, like, every night,, so this is kind of an established pattern for you,  
TAVROS: Except, erm,,  
TAVROS: How do you expect to travel to a town,, half a hundred miles away, in any kind of expedited manner?

Harry looks at Tavros like that's the stupidest question he's ever heard. For one instant, seeing a pair of icy-blue eyes look down on him with admonishment sends Tavros to a place he'd rather never be. If he focuses in the right way, he can still hear the phantom echoes of the screams reverberating throughout the Crocker mansion. He shakes his head to snap himself out of it, but it leaves him with a slimy feeling pooling in his stomach.

HARRY: uh, drive there, of course??

Now this catches Tavros by surprise.

TAVROS: Drive?  
TAVROS: But, uh, harry, you can't do that?  
TAVROS: Neither of us learned to drive, on account of the fact that we always had crockercorp chauffeurs, to handle such matters,  
HARRY: no, no, i did learn.  
TAVROS: Really?

Harry nods. He looks at Tavros again, but this time his expression is sadder. Sad for whom Tavros can't say.

HARRY: yeah. my mom paid for lessons for me a little after we moved out.  
HARRY: in the wake of... everything, she thought it would be best to give me as much independence as possible.  
TAVROS: Huh,  
HARRY: i'm not, like, THE best driver in the world or anything, but i passed my test with a decent enough score.  
TAVROS: You can take a test, to learn to drive?  
HARRY: that's just about the saddest thing i ever heard get said.

Tavros blinks at Harry's odd expression. He feels like he's being pitied. It's not a comfortable feeling.

HARRY: anyway, yeah. that's the gist of it. drive down to cavalreap, meet up with vris, do some cool rebel shit.  
HARRY: you still in?  
TAVROS: Well, i,,,  
TAVROS: I may have, a concern or two, about this scheme of yours,  
TAVROS: Namely, how are we to drive down there, when all we have is your father's vehicle,  
TAVROS: A vehicle to which, he has the means of access for,  
HARRY: oh, don't worry about that.

Harry reaches into his pocket again, and pulls out a set of car keys that he twirls around one finger. Tavros raises an eyebrow.

TAVROS: Did you steal those?  
HARRY: nah. turns out mending a broken relationship with your estranged dad gives you the bonus perk of being trusted enough with the spare car keys.  
HARRY: so all i need to do is aim, and...

He points the keys at the car, pushing the button on top. With a clunk, the car unlocks.

HARRY: open sesame. we're in business, baby.  
TAVROS: So we're just going to, commit grand theft auto?  
HARRY: c'mon, tavros! we're already rebels! doing crimes is, like, our thing now!  
TAVROS: I don't know,,, this seems, kind of sus,,  
TAVROS: Also, aren't occupied towns and cities, within the troll kingdom, subject to intense human militia presence?  
HARRY: oh yeah this is absolutely dangerous as fuck. but that's what makes it so cool!  
HARRY: i mean, if you want to wimp out and hang back with the adults, that's your call. i'll be sure to let vrissy know, too.

That sends a rush of warmth through Tavros's face.

TAVROS: No, you can't,  
TAVROS: She already mercilessly ribs me, for the most minor of things, as it is,  
HARRY: then come on! show her that there's actually a cool bone somewhere in your body!  
TAVROS: I mean, when you put it like that, your case of intense peer pressure is, mighty persuading,,,  
TAVROS: Ok, i'll come with,,,  
HARRY: sweet!  
HARRY: seriously, i promise, this is absolutely a good idea. you'll see.  
TAVROS: ,,,

With that said, Harry and Tavros swing into the driver and passenger seats of John Egbert's car, respectively. Harry starts up the ignition, and with all the expertise of a teenager who's only had a license for less than six months, pulls them out of the parking lot. They trundle along the dirt road at a speed almost certainly above the limit, heading downhill into the desolate countryside valley and towards the town of Cavalreap further beyond even that. All too quickly the church disappears into a speck behind them, until even the funeral itself feels like a hazy doubt on Tavros's mind.

The landscape is empty. Wind skims the absences keeping the ravaged fields apart as if grazing the hollow of a cut reed, or say, an occupied casket inside an abandoned house of worship. A familiar note is produced. It is the one the universe produces to keep its subordinates in place. Tavros leans against the window as Harry drives them onwards into the unknown with all the bravado of youthful naivety. Whatever matters for the two of them, it lies not behind them, but still further ahead.

He has a feeling it's going to be a long day.

iii.

VRISSY: Okay, so, I have Confirm8tion that Harry and Tavros are En Route.  
VRISSY: ETA of somewhere around One Hour.  
VRISKA: They got away that easily?  
VRISSY: Yeah, O8viously. It's just a Funeral. You can, like, walk away with 8asically No Consequences.  
VRISSY: Also Harry just stole his dad's car, which expedited things Considera8ly.  
VRISKA: Huh. That was... surprisingly competent of them.  
VRISSY: It was Literally Just Some Carjacking that anyone could have done. Man, Vriska, how low are your Standards?

Vrissy chats away in one corner of the room, hands glued to a smartphone that hasn't needed a charge despite near-constant use for nearly three days now. She also remains looking as pristine and immaculate as she did the first day she encountered her ancestor. Vriska, meanwhile, listens along as she works to rig up the inner wiring of the transportalizer pad in the middle of the floor. Thick grease runs up to her elbows, splashing stains of black on top of the blue and purple that adorn her rolled up shirtsleeves, and her hair is an absolute fucking mess. Turns out trying to rig a device from three universes ago to teleport inside the current reality is kind of not an easy task.

SOLLUX: 0k c00l still d0n't care ab0ut y0ur stupid wacky teen adventures.  
VRISSY: 8luh, 8luh, Can It Old Man.  
SOLLUX: hm n0pe still d0n't give a fuck.  
VRISSY: Then why are you even still talking to me!!!!!!!!

Sollux floats a cool, disinterested five feet away from Vrissy, sour and crackling like the world's most bitter lightbulb. Vrissy rolls her eyes at him, but the two have developed this weird, sort of bitchy camaraderie over the last couple days. For someone who loudly professes to not care one drop about anything in this crapsack irrelevant world, Sollux sure is invested. Either that or he's decided antagonising a sixteen year old is a better use of his time than actually helping Vriska prep the transportalizer.

VRISSY: Still, fucking sucks that Uncle D8ve is, like, Dead.  
VRISSY: How the hell does a guy like him Kick the 8ucket out of nowhere like that?  
SOLLUX: hell if i kn0w. guy died after the muse st0pped gawking at the timeline.  
SOLLUX: d0es it matter?  
VRISSY: Yeah, kind of! He was a Depressed Loser, sure, 8ut he was a crucial pu8lic figurehead in the Re8ellion.  
VRISSY: Also, a God Of Earth C dying isn't really a Thing anyone ever expects to happen.  
SOLLUX: 0h c0me 0n this is the sec0nd strider t0 die in this timeline wh0 the fuck is surprised.  
VRISSY: Dirk Strider was Different, though. He just str8 up killed himself. D8ve, meanwhile, died under Totally Mysterious circumstances in the middle of the Jungle.  
VRISSY: Also, well,  
VRISSY: He mattered A Lot, to my Mom. ::::/ So I have some Weird Feelings a8out his death?

Vrissy tries to pass it off as cool, but there's a tension to her eyes that indicates how out of her depth all this kind of stuff is. Despite her spunky attitude, she's still some sheltered kid. It still weirds Vriska the hell out to think the two of them share a common genetic base. Alternia would have eaten this girl alive.

VRISKA: If it helps, you quickly get used to people dying.  
VRISKA: 8y this point, I've completely lost count of the amount of people I've seen die or dou8le-die or some other asinine com8in8tion of those things.  
VRISSY: Not Really? Just shows me how fucked up your old life on Alternia was.  
VRISKA: I was mostly talking a8out Sgru8 there, 8ut I guess your point stands.

Vrissy gives a conversational “mm” as Vriska bends down and sticks her hands back into the transportalizer. She's been working off a schematic Vrissy had Kanaya send her to try and rewire this thing to accept that it's inside Earth C. Vriska was never the robotics girl or the hacker girl back in the day, but she's savvy enough with electronics to passably work her way through it. That said, at the rate she's been working it might have just been faster to make their way to the rendezvous via normal vehicular means. On the bright side, unlike the last intricate mechanical project she was in charge of maintaining, a lot of this is just about rewiring components to other rewired components, and nobody ends up on the floor screaming in agony if she misses a connection. Vriska's mostly surprised herself that she's still got it.

VRISSY: How's it going down there, Anyway?  
VRISKA: I think I'm pretty much almost there.  
VRISKA: Just a couple more wires to go, then I think I have the inside looking like the schematic.  
VRISSY: Good. 8ecause there's No Way I can show up l8ter than Harry and Tavros.  
VRISSY: Do you know how uncool that would make me?  
VRISKA: Enough to 8e outshone 8y a pair of dwee8y human 8oys????????  
VRISSY: ::::|

Vrissy doesn't respond to that, suddenly interested in her phone again. If she's trying to appear cool before her ancestor, she's not doing a good job. Heck, if Vriska was to meet Mindfang in person, she'd... uh, well. Actually, thinking about that topic hits a few raw nerves, worsened by the fact that some version of her met with some version of Mindfang and it ended with the absolute worst possible outcome. Maybe she should stay quiet inside her glass hive.

SOLLUX: haha, 0wned.  
VRISSY: God, Old Man, shut it! You're doing a Terri8le Jo8 at exuding apathy!  
SOLLUX: and yet y0u ch00se to engage with me. curi0us.  
VRISSY: Hey, Vriska! Can you Hurry Up and Finish wiring that transportalizer already?  
VRISKA: Yeah, yeah, to protect you from total em8arrassment, I get it.  
VRISKA: Don't worry. Nearly... there........

Wire to wire, connection to connection. Final two, a set of knotted red and green things that snarl with leftover radiation from she's not even sure what. Jack Noir? Is this a Jack Noir thing, or a Lord English thing, or just a Sitting Around Unused On Earth C thing? Despite her unflappable coolness in the face of danger, Vriska was never one to keep track of the lore. Not like—

She shakes her head and slams the two cables together. With a shock that burns the length of her arms, the transportalizer spits to life. The runes atop it glow a soft white.

VRISSY: Whoa. Cool.  
SOLLUX: meh. this is, like, what, the milli0nth 0ne 0f these i've seen?  
SOLLUX: i've telep0rted in way c00ler ways than this.  
VRISKA: Shut the fuck up you two, okay? I 8n't done just yet.

Vriska pulls her arms out from inside the transportalizer, and wipes the oil off from the open hatch. Beneath it is a kind of punch code display screen, used to link one transportalizer pad to another.

VRISKA: Needs the teleport code. What's the ID for the place we're meeting up at?  
VRISSY: Oh, Cavalreap?  
VRISSY: Should 8e “CAVALREAP-M” for the Municipal Pad, as is standard across Earth C.

Vriska blinks.

VRISKA: Wait, seriously?  
VRISKA: You guys have a city named “Cavalreap”????????  
VRISSY: Well, it's more of a Town, 8ut yeah?  
VRISKA: Wow. That is may8e the stupidest n8me for a troll settlement I have EVER heard.  
SOLLUX: but 0utglut squared gets a pass?  
VRISKA: Outglut was a legitim8 city, so I forgive them that one. 8ut “Cavalreap”? Seriously? Come on!  
VRISKA: These losers wouldn't know what the fuck a Cavalreaper was if they were caught unaware in the radiation helix 8y one!  
SOLLUX: 0k why the fuck d0 y0u a) have that much kn0wledge 0n alternian military subdivisi0ns 0utside 0f y0ur caste and b) why the fuck d0 y0u even care.  
VRISKA: 8ecause... 8ecause...

They're both looking at her like she's absolutely fucking insane. And okay, maybe she is a little. Something about this world is pushing her to the brink of total psychosis.

VRISKA: It just exemplifies how a8solutely stupid everything a8out this world is. Thank fuck this isn't the real timeline.  
VRISKA: Anyway, let's set this 8ad 8oy for fucking Cavalreap, I guess...

Vriska wipes the grease from her fingers and punches in the code, doing on-the-fly captchalogue translations. By some stroke of luck she gets it right the first time; the light on the pad changes from an idle white to a ready green.

VRISKA: There we go. ::::)  
VRISSY: And, uh...

Vrissy steps forward, pointing at the contraption with a raised eyebrow.

VRISSY: This will work?  
VRISKA: Why wouldn't it?  
VRISSY: 8ecause you crudely Reverse Engineered a 5000 Year Old transportalizer from Another Universe?  
VRISKA: You know, sometimes you really do sound like Kanaya.  
VRISSY: Hey! Don't say that! I'm Nothing Like my mom!  
VRISKA: Then stop 8eing such a pedantic fussyfangs already!  
VRISSY: Ugh, Fine! Whatever! I'm Totally Cool! Just Fucking Watch Me!!!!!!!!

Throwing her hands up in indignation, Vrissy charges for the transportalizer pad, vanishing in a flare of bright energy. Sollux turns to Vriska with a sour frown.

SOLLUX: y0u t0tally just used that brat as a lab0rat0ry trial r0dent, didn't y0u.  
VRISKA: O8viously.  
SOLLUX: even th0ugh y0u're literally an imm0rtal g0d and thus the best suited t0 g0 first.  
VRISKA: Hey! Do you really have that little f8th in me????????  
SOLLUX: abs0lutely. n0 questi0n.  
VRISKA: God, Sollux! You used to 8e cool, you know! A surly jerkass, 8ut cool!  
VRISKA: Now you're just a curmudgeonly fucker who refuses to admit several things have crawled up your chute and died.  
SOLLUX: this is why i rati0ned the time i spent ar0und y0u t0 the bare fucking minimum.  
SOLLUX: if we weren't w0rking t0wards a c0mm0n g0al i w0uld abs0lutely fucking ditch y0u.  
VRISKA: You know what???????? Same here!!!!!!!!

This is how most conversations with Sollux go these days. Vriska's really beginning to understand why Aradia ditched him in this dump. She'd get tired of putting up with this shit for a few millennia, too.

VRISKA: Anyway, for that comment you're going next.  
SOLLUX: 0h what the FUCK. n0 fucking way.  
SOLLUX: i'm n0t m0ving until i see that y0u've n0t been vap0rized by this fucking death trap.  
VRISKA: Sollux, you're fucking 8lind.  
SOLLUX: whatever. y0u g0t the fucking meaning.  
VRISKA: Also, I know that if I go 8efore you, you a8solutely will not leave this meteor, and will pro8a8ly sulk here until the heat death of this universe.  
SOLLUX: and what ab0ut it. i never really gave a shit ab0ut whatever stupid scheme y0u're c00king up. why d0 y0u even care.  
VRISKA: 8ecause you might 8e my only ticket out of here, that's why! I'm gunning for the 8igwigs, and I'm t8king every advant8ge I can get.  
SOLLUX: i pr0mise y0u there is n0thing 0ut there that is less awful than right here.  
VRISKA: D8N'T F8CKING S8Y TH8T!!!!!!!!

That strikes a nerve sharply enough that Vriska has to clutch at her chest with one hand as she shunts Sollux towards the transportalizer with the other, screaming all the while. Sollux barely has time to swing his head around in bewilderment before he's gone, too.

Vriska takes the few minutes she's alone in this meteor to collect herself, and by collect herself she means have a total fucking meltdown. She sinks to the ground, back against the wall, and rocks back and forth in irregular rhythm, pounding her fists against the corrugated ground.

VRISKA: AAAA8888GH! STUPID STUPID ST8PID!!!!!!!!  
VRISKA: SO F8CKING ST8PID!!!!!!!!

The rage boils over for ten more seconds, before abruptly breaking into heaving sobs. It's like the pressure valve on the pent-up stress over the last few weeks or however the fuck long it's been has been jostled just a little. Vriska indignantly heaves and wails, coming dangerously close to puking. The rational part of her mind recognises that she has to control herself right fucking now, because if she lets the grief flow, she knows it'll never stop. And she has too much left to do before she falls apart.

In between an alternating dance of clenching her fists and punching the ground, the wall, even herself, Vriska manages to slip into her jeans pocket and pull out John's stolen phone. She stares at the picture on the lock screen and forces herself to breathe through her teeth. She makes a series of strained vocal utterances and bites a whole chunk out of her bottom lip in the process, but slowly, surely, she regains control.

She opens up the message log. It calms her further, a reassurance of what's waiting for her on the other side of all this. That this go nowhere shithole fucking _miserable_ planet isn't all that's left for her. Her face burns. How the fuck could she be so stupid as to believe Sollux's blathering misery for even one fucking second???????? She is Vriska fucking Serket!!!!!!!! She's the badass hero of reality! Everything's going to fall in her favour in the end, because it has to. Because she won't fucking stop until it will.

Vriska breathes out the last of the tension and once again bottles the maelstrom of anguish tight as you fucking can. Then, she stands on legs that she refuses to perceive as shaky. She's got this. She's totally got this. And once more, she finds herself rapidly, but definitely not desperately, unlocking the phone and booting up the Pesterchum app.

AG: Man, you wouldn't 8elieve the shit that's happened these last couple days!  
AG: I'm now leading some super-cool re8ellious mission to overthrow the r8gime spearheaded 8y Jane Crocker, so something of actual relev8nce m8y finally happen here! ::::)  
AG: And, 8ecause I'm such an incredi8ly awesome leader, I even got Sollux on side. Who, 8tw, is still totally fucking fuming at Aradia for ditching him like that.  
AG: So if you see her in your travels across the void, 8e sure to tell her kudos on dropping the dead w8! Lol.  
AG: Anyway. I'm a8out to get this shit started 8y hopping over to some troll town in the sticks via a transportalizer – that I totally set up myself! - and meeting more of the grownup versions of our friends. Really hoping Rose and Kanaya didn't turn out as l8me as John did, 8ut I'm not holding my 8reath!  
AG: Oh, and did you know that they n8med the town fucking “Cavalreap”?!?!?!?! Like, what the fuck! Who even told these losers a8out the old Imperial Army? I'm sure one of the fucking million Tavros ghosts will 8e amused 8y it or whatever.  
AG: Also, apparently D8ve Strider's fucking dead? Which is as weird as it is totally pointless, given that this is an a8solutely irrelevant version of him. I'm sure he died in some ar8itrary and totally unironic way that will m8ke the real Dave laugh his ass off when I tell him!  
AG: I gotta go get this mission started now. I don't need luck, 8ut I'll appreci8 your wishes nonetheless! :::;)  
AG: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The messages continue to be unread, but the act of throwing words down her one lifeline centres Vriska enough to get going. She's left Vrissy and Sollux long enough. With a deep breath, she takes a decisive step onto the transportalizer pad, and the meteor around her vanishes in a thrum of light that crashes against her skin like mildly radioactive surf.

And where she ends up is...

VRISKA: A mall?

Vriska blinks a few time as the world comes back into focus around her. She's standing on the ground floor atrium of a massive building lined with escalators, balconies, and various storefronts. A whole bunch of trolls, and some humans, swarm the floor en masse, clutching phones and paper bags like they're strife specibi. It's a dead ringer for a traditional Alternian mall, save for the fact the entire place is aglow in soft, inviting daylight.

VRISSY: Um, Duh???????? Where else would the municipal transportalizer 8e?

Vriska pivots around to see Vrissy and Sollux by a large, ornate water fountain. Vrissy sits on a bench in front of the water feature while Sollux looks up at an indiscriminate spot on the ceiling, mouth quirked in another frown.

VRISKA: I don't know! Somewhere more tactical to the re8—  
VRISSY: !!!

Before Vriska finishes, Vrissy leaps from her seat and clasps a hand over her mouth. Vriska fights back the urge to bite in response. Vrissy looks up at her with an unusually steely gaze, softly shaking her head.

VRISSY: You can't Just Say Shit Like That out in the open!  
VRISSY: The 8atterwitch has ears everywhere.

Vrissy pulls her hand away from Vriska's mouth. Vriska raises an eyebrow.

VRISKA: I dou8t that cl8im. They said the s8me thing a8out the Condesce on Alternia, and outside of a few stupid murderclowns, she didn't have half a clue a8out what was going down on the homeworld.  
VRISSY: Ok, well First Of All this situ8tion is Nothing Like Alternia. You don't really need intense surv8llance in a lawless murderstate. 8ut if you haven't noticed, Earth C is Ruled 8y Capitalism.  
VRISKA: What's capitalis  
SOLLUX: f0r the l0ve 0f fuck PLEASE d0 n0t ask that questi0n. she w0n't shut up ab0ut the t0pic.

Sollux floats towards them, sparking crankily. Vrissy rolls her eyes at him.

SOLLUX: it's a stupid s0cietal m0del where every0ne is 0nly all0wed to behave in ways that make the value 0f a bunch 0f fake m0ney constantly get bigger and if y0u defy that y0u get murdered.  
VRISSY: You're totally Oversimplifying it, 8ut  
SOLLUX: n0 i didn't and whatever p0int y0u're ab0ut t0 make d0esn't matter.  
VRISSY: Fine! Whatever! If you wanna look at Society through a strict Life Or Death lens, then I guess your explan8tion's Kinda Good Enough?  
SOLLUX: it is g00d en0ugh and y0u d0 N0T need t0 g0 0n an0ther diatribe ab0ut the matter.  
VRISSY: Pff. Spoilsport.

Vrissy huffs out a sigh. Sollux flips his middle finger and decides throwing psionic sparks into the fountain spray is a way better use of his time. He doesn't stop floating, so the occasional shopper stops for a few seconds to gawk at the display before continuing on.

VRISSY: So Where Was I?  
VRISKA: Something a8out how Earth C 8n't Alternia, and Crocker's r8ging hard-on for some type of religion centred around money?  
VRISSY: Right Yeah, so as I was saying, the Rules Of Eng8gement are different.  
VRISSY: You can't just Go Around saying whatever you want. Someone, Somewhere is almost certainly listening in.

As if to emphasise her point, she motions to the rather conspicuous crimson cameras stationed every three feet, to the advertising screens outside every store, to the security guards dotted around randomly, to even the phones held in everyone's hands.

VRISSY: It's even worse here 8ecause this is Occupied Territory. Trolls have 8asically Zero Freedoms here.  
VRISKA: 8ut... they're shopping.  
VRISSY: How is spending what little you have on Worthless Trinkets that Fatten The Pockets of the Elite in any way a freedom?  
VRISKA: I don't see anyone dying, for starters!  
VRISSY: 8ecause no8ody would Dare 8e a dissident in pu8lic! That's how you end up in the C8ke Mills!  
VRISKA: This is a stupid joke.  
VRISSY: There's Nothing Funny a8out forced la8our camps, Vriska.  
VRISKA: I never said that! And ok, that there MIGHT 8e a kind of fucked up thing to exist, 8ut...  
VRISKA: This isn't that 8ad, to 8e honest? Miles ahead of life on Alternia.  
VRISSY: Ok, you're definitely Not Getting It.  
VRISSY: For like The Longest Time everyone had Roughly Comparable Rights when it came to existing in society, hence all the Luxury Infrastructure.  
VRISSY: 8ut for trolls, those rights are a8solutely 8eing More And More eroded every day. For starters, even though anyone can come here, hardly any trolls have Enough Money to 8uy shit from Most Places.

Vrissy points to a row of stores on the floor above them. Vriska follows her point. She notices that unlike the ground floor, most customers coming in and out are humans. She also notices that the stores up there mostly seem to sell stuff like jewellery and electronics, whereas the ground floor mostly comprises the basic essential goods you need to live day-to-day.

VRISKA: Okay, I see that.  
VRISSY: And it's not like they can Just Move to a more affordable place, either! 99% of trolls are strictly For8idden from leaving their Local Region for Any Reason.  
VRISSY: Which is Really 8ad for a Whole 8unch of Reasons, 8ut it's especially 8ad in Rural Locales, where hundreds of thousands of trolls don't even have Access to a Hospital.  
VRISKA: 8ut  
VRISSY: And the Point Is That They Could Do That! For A Long Time They Were Free To Do Whatever! And Now No8ody Can!  
VRISSY: This is, like, Genocide 101!  
VRISKA: Okay, okay! You convinced me! This shit sucks for the troll popul8tion, I get it.  
VRISSY: Good, 8ecause you Need To Understand the Ethos if you're gonna join the Re8ellion.  
VRISKA: Hey, didn't you just tell me saying that shit out loud's a really 8ad idea????????  
VRISSY: !!!!!!!!

Vrissy claps her hands over her own mouth, eyes going wide. Her cheeks flush blue. From the fountain, Sollux chuckles.

SOLLUX: lma0

Vrissy is unimpressed, rounding on him with a snarl.

VRISSY: This is A8solutely Not a “Lmao” situ8tion!  
VRISSY: I Totally just 8roke the Code like a L8mey L8me Loser! I cannot 8elieve I made a Faux Pas like that!  
VRISSY: And, and! I just put us in Danger! They're always listening!  
VRISSY: Shit!!!!!!!!

As Vrissy experiences an imminent freakout, Vriska coolly scans their surroundings, which remain completely unchanged.

VRISKA: So where, exactly, are these gr8 threats?  
VRISSY: ?  
VRISKA: 8ecause I don't think anyone g8ve a shit a8out what you just said.  
VRISKA: And in fact, you're drawing more attention to yourself right now with this pu8lic panic attack than anything else!  
VRISSY: I

Vrissy pauses mid-episode and looks around. They're all still basically being ignored by passersby, but maybe one troll in ten looks at the scene with an embarrassed grimace. Vrissy groans and buries her face in her hands.

VRISSY: God I am So 8ad at 8eing an Ins8nely Cool 8itch.  
VRISKA: Hey, you learn with experience. ::::)  
VRISKA: 8ut anyway, given that we're clearly NOT a8out to 8e super murdered, what is the actual plan?

Vriska takes a step forward with bravado. The ever-shifting crowd barely spares her a glance, devoid of any fascist intent. In fact, were she to hedge a bet, she'd say pretty much everyone here agrees with Vrissy's rhetoric, if only in secret. But also like most people, they're too wrapped up in their own lives to give a shit, as are probably whatever underpaid guys are monitoring the surveillance networks.

Vrissy takes the opportunity to collect herself and once again prove her cred as a fledgling plucky rebel heroine.

VRISSY: My Moms are meeting us in an unmonitored 8ackroad 8ehind The Mall once the Funeral is done, and Harry and Tavros should 8e here in Like Thirty Minutes. We're gonna Meet Up and hang out for a while 8efore the Adults get here, may8e do some cool shit, you Know The Drill.  
SOLLUX: just s0 y0u kn0w i'm n0t interacting with any m0re insufferable teens. i am at my fucking limit.  
VRISKA: Ok, so we just wait outside for those two, then?  
VRISSY: Well, Actually... My Mom wants me to Run An Errand first.  
VRISKA: An errand?  
VRISSY: Yeah, I Get how l8me it is, 8ut I'm hoping it'll m8ke her Less Mad At Me for ditching them in the middle of a 8attlefield.  
VRISKA: Ok, whatever. What is this errand?  
VRISSY: Nothing Much. Just need to pick up some more Hormones For Mom from the Hormone Store.  
VRISKA:  
SOLLUX:

Vriska and Sollux stare at each other, jaws agape, in a deeply mutual understanding. Vrissy looks at the two of them, bewildered.

SOLLUX: the fucking what n0w???  
VRISSY: You Know, the Hormone Store?  
VRISSY: Where you Purchase your Hormones?  
VRISSY: Hormones to Help With Your Gender? Like HRT and Junk?  
VRISKA: Yeah, we know what hormones are, o8viously.  
VRISKA: 8ut what the hell do you *mean*, just go and 8uy some????????

Vrissy winces a little under their gaze.

VRISSY: You mean you guys... Don't just 8uy your hormones?  
VRISKA: Uh, no???????? That's a8solutely not a fucking thing that happened!  
SOLLUX: seri0usly wtf d0 y0u mean it's that easy 0n this shitsack w0rld. that's just c0mpletely fucking unfair.  
SOLLUX: these guys d0n't have t0 guzzle illegal musclebeast nectar like fucking animals and they're c0mplaining ab0ut being 0ppressed?  
VRISSY: Hold Up, you... What?!?!?!?!

Vrissy tries and fails to give the impression that she isn't totally fucking lost here, which mostly amounts to her glancing at her phone every five seconds.

VRISKA: Is that... not how that works here?  
VRISSY: Um, No???????? You Just Go Down and get some Pills or an Injection or Whatever and that's It?

Vriska gives a dry, humourless laugh.

VRISKA: God, fuck, people like us had it approxim8ly a million times worse on Alternia.  
VRISKA: That gender shit was frowned upon on account of taking hormones fucking up your fertility, and everyone knows 8eing una8le to produce a via8le slurry is a cull-on-sight offense.  
VRISKA: So the only resource we had was drinking raw muscle8east nectar of the appropri8 8iological sex. Which was easier for some of us than others.  
SOLLUX: y0u think any part 0f persuading equius t0 ship 0ver a crate 0f his putrid lusus milk every perigee was easy?  
VRISKA: At least you had a consistent living source! I had to hope to fuck for a Flarp kid that a) was high enough on the hemospectrum to even HAVE that kind of lusus and 8) that it was even compati8le!  
SOLLUX: it's always a fucking c0mpetiti0n with y0u isn't it. and wh0 was it that g0t a free magic fucking transiti0n with g0d tier ascensi0n?  
VRISKA: You a8solutely cannot call a pair of 8oo8s a complete transition, and you know it!  
VRISKA: And to m8ke matters worse, I had to figure out how to alchemise more of it on the meteor through trial and error!  
SOLLUX: at least y0u were still alive.  
VRISKA: Don't try it! Ghosts don't go through further pup8tions, so you had a WAY easier time than me.  
VRISKA: Anyway, this is not the point!  
VRISKA: The point is that getting hormones on Alternia was an a8solute fucking struggle, so it's completely a8surd to find out on Earth C you can just go and 8uy some like a gru8loaf!  
VRISSY:

Vrissy blinks a few times, stalling for time to figure out exactly what she's going to say next.

VRISSY: Ok, so that is Completely Fucked Up and All Kinds of 8ar8aric.  
SOLLUX: y0u're telling us.  
VRISSY: Also, if you two want, I can 8uy You Some Hormones too? They're Dirt Cheap.  
SOLLUX: ...  
VRISKA: ...  
VRISKA: A8solutely.  
SOLLUX: abs0lutely.  
VRISSY: Gr8! I assume you have no 8rand Preference given how you Literally Drank Lusus Milk, so I'll just get you the Starting Set.  
VRISSY: Come on! The store's just Down This Way.

Vrissy takes off down the path behind the fountain. Vriska and Sollux hurry to catch up, ducking and dodging past a whole throng of trolls who, come to think of it, might be being forced to shop for the sake of the economy. It's not a thought that registers highly in Vriska's mind. The culture shock is winning out.

Eventually they stop outside a store at the far end of the mall, marked out by the surprisingly large queue of trolls waiting outside. There's a tacky red sign out front that reads “CROCKERCORP HORMONE EMPORIUM”. Vriska squints at the sign and frowns. Vrissy immediately raises her hands placatingly.

VRISSY: Hey, Don't Sweat It. Crockercorp owns 8asically Everything including Pharmaceuticals, 8ut it's fine. It's Completely S8fe! Mom's 8een using it for Years with No Pro8lems.  
VRISKA: If you say so.  
VRISSY: Anyway I'm gonna go Jump In Line. Don't go Too Far!

Vrissy gives a cocky wave then starts barging through the line of increasingly disgruntled trolls until she vanishes through the front doors. Vriska and Sollux blink at each other in unspoken silence. All around them is the sound of voices and the scuffing of shoes on polished flooring.

SOLLUX: 0k this is 0fficially weird as shit.  
VRISKA: You're telling me. From my perspective, this entire universe didn't even exist three days ago.  
VRISKA: It's a8solutely unfair that a place like this is doing it 8etter than actual reality!  
SOLLUX: d0n't get me wr0ng i'm still ditching this place the first 0pp0rtunity i can. n0t even this is g0nna tempt me int0 giving a shit.  
VRISKA: Yeah, me too! Hey, may8e I should float this idea once I get 8ack to the real world.  
VRISKA: If I'm ever in a situ8tion where easy access to hormones is ever a pressing issue, which is actually incredi8ly unlikely.  
VRISKA: I'm just gonna replic8 whatever Vrissy gives me, and real Kanaya actually figured out how to get human hormones to work for her.  
VRISKA: And it's not like any of my other friends is ever going to have a l8 st8ge gender revel8tion or anything!  
SOLLUX: n0pe y0u're t0tally n0t getting ahead 0f y0urself 0r anything here.  
VRISKA: We've 8een through this! I'm too cool and relevant to st8y out of the spotlight for very long!  
SOLLUX: g00d f0r y0u i just want t0 be d0ne with all this bullshit f0r g00d. i've been in this circus f0r t00 l0ng t0 put up with any m0re n0nsense.  
VRISKA: Hey! May8e you could use your retirement to actually work on your personality!  
SOLLUX: stfu being terminally d0ne is like my 0nly  
??????: oh my god  
??????: vvris? sol?  
SOLLUX: 0h jesus shit N0

Vriska turns around to the source of the voice in the queue behind them. What she sees very nearly sends her right to the limit of shit she can take. Standing in line, arms folded and pouting like a diva, is a dead Eridan kitted out in an edgy miniskirt and a tubetop.

(ERIDAN): wwoww you basically nevver see vversions a you twwo  
SOLLUX: n0pe n0pe fuck this n0pe  
(ERIDAN): usually wwe get another couple thousand nepetas if wwere lucky but at this point the rifts pretty much only drop more a those absolutely fuckin wworthless ancestors  
SOLLUX: i am n0t here i am n0t d0ing this n0 way n0 fucking way  
VRISKA: ...  
VRISKA: ERIDAN?!?!?!?!  
SOLLUX: fuck this n0 i'm 0ut

As Vriska struggles to take in the sight before her, Sollux abruptly decides to start ascending towards the fucking ceiling. The ghost Eridan watches him go for a while before turning back to Vriska.

(ERIDAN): yeah its me vvris  
(ERIDAN): cept im a girl noww goin by she/her pronouns n evverythin  
(ERIDAN): pretty swwag huh  
VRISKA: I... Uh...  
VRISKA: Yeah! This is a8solutely a thing you are doing, Eridan!  
(ERIDAN): see youd think after god fuckin knowws howw many swweeps out in the void youd havve exhausted all possible avvenues a self discovvery but the miracle a redemption brought me one more truth  
(ERIDAN): may the bard rest in eternal mirth  
VRISKA: I'm... glad this is where death has t8ken you?

(Eridan) smiles, her sharp teeth glinting in contrast to her lipstick. She takes a step forward. Vriska spares a not so subtle glance towards the store, hoping beyond hope that Vrissy shows up any second now. Because the universe hates her, this doesn't happen.

(ERIDAN): ya knoww ivve been wwaitin for a vvriska to come along for a wwhile  
VRISKA: Oh, gee... really.  
(ERIDAN): yeah on account a you bein the last person left for me to redeem myself wwith  
(ERIDAN): gotta apologise to you so i can truly call myself a changed wwoman  
VRISKA: Uh huh...  
(ERIDAN): so then  
(ERIDAN): apparently alivve vvriska?  
(ERIDAN): let me just say  
(ERIDAN): im sorry  
VRISKA: For... what?  
(ERIDAN): oh you knoww

(Eridan)'s ghost eyes are white and wide behind her glasses. Vriska tries and fails not to be skeeved out by looking at the ground. It only succeeds in drawing her attention to the fact that (Eridan) is wearing striped thigh-highs. Oh good fucking lord.

(ERIDAN): for my totally inappropriate manner a misconduct vvis a vvis our personal convversations  
VRISKA: Our what now?  
(ERIDAN): see i dunno if wwhat im about to say applies to this specific vversion a you but  
(ERIDAN): wwell  
(ERIDAN): i definitely crossed a lot a boundaries wwhenevver i talked wwith you that i absolutely should not havve  
(ERIDAN): specifically wwhen it came to your gender  
VRISKA: You did what????????  
(ERIDAN): i understand noww that i wwas a heavvily repressed egg and wwas a vvictim of abuse from my lusus and so lashed out at that wwhich i actually desired the most  
(ERIDAN): to be trans and also a wwoman  
VRISKA: Oh god.  
(ERIDAN): and because i both desired and envvied you i had no idea how to interact wwith you in any manner evven resemblin respectful  
(ERIDAN): but noww i realise that wwas pretty unpog of me  
(ERIDAN): so  
(ERIDAN): vvriska im sorry please go ahead an pronounce me forgivven  
VRISKA: Uh

Eridan steps out of the line, moving towards Vriska. Vriska takes a hesitant step backwards. On the list of things she was equipped to deal with today, or fucking ever, this is at the absolute bottom.

(ERIDAN): cmon wwe gotta kiss an make up as the doctrine demands so that my soul can be savved

She continues to lurch forward, arms outstretched, lips puckered.

VRISKA: Hey, uh, what the *fuck* are you doing????????  
(ERIDAN): redeeming myself?  
VRISKA: *That's* what you're calling this weirdo displ8y? Redemption????????  
(ERIDAN): yeah this is like  
(ERIDAN): troll ghost culture 101 you gotta redeem yourself before you can enjoy the afterlife to your afterlife  
(ERIDAN): or your afterlife^2  
VRISKA: God, just shut the fuck up! I don't care a8out any of this!!!!  
(ERIDAN): its not about caring or not caring its about the wway of redemption cmon

(Eridan) takes another step forward. Vriska pushes the ghost away from her. (Eridan), eyes wide, stumbles back into the wall, drawing the attention of another Eridan waiting in line. This one is dressed in a flowing formal gown that is totally inappropriate for the mall.

(ERIDAN 2): hey sis wwhat the hell are you doin  
(ERIDAN 2): youre gonna make a scene actin like that  
(ERIDAN 2): do you really wwanna be responsible for cutting the ghosts allotted time in society short AGAIN??  
(ERIDAN): stfu wwhore im marching down the path a REDEMPTION  
(ERIDAN 2): wwhat youre doing is harrassing some random vvriska wwho doesnt evven havve the first clue about wwhatevver the fuck youre on about  
(ERIDAN): oh look at you resident fuckin atheist howw does your high horse taste  
(ERIDAN 3): can you twwo be quiet youre gonna givve us transfem eridans a bad rep

This from a third (Eridan), in a ponytail and cardigan with huge hoop earrings.

(ERIDAN 2): wwho the fuck asked you?? this is betwween me an (eridan) so stay in your owwn lane ok  
(ERIDAN 3): kinda hard to do wwhen you both insist on airin your DIRTY FUCKIN LAUNDRY out across the wwhole mall  
(ERIDAN 3): jesus did either of you girls learn howw to not sound like a fuckin foghorn all the damn time  
(ERIDAN): says the bitch screamin like vvocalising is goin outta fashion  
(ERIDAN 3): least i nevver engaged in harassment like you are  
(ERIDAN 3): in fact im one a fivve eridans wwho actually died a heroic death so you havve absolutely no room to talk  
VRISKA:  
(ERIDAN 4): omg the girls are fightinggggg  
VRISKA: RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAUGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT  
VRISKA: THE F8CK  
VRISKA: ********UUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP********!!!!!!!!  
(ERIDAN):  
(ERIDAN 2):  
(ERIDAN 3):  
(ERIDAN 4):

The four (Eridan)s turn to face Vriska in stunned unison. Vriska, absolutely raging, is about to give them even more of a piece of mind when:

VRISSY: Ok I'm Back!!!!!!!!  
VRISSY: Three doses of hormones Fresh Off The Press!

Vrissy hurries up to Vriska carrying three separate plastic bags. Before Vriska can say anything, Vrissy shoves one of them into her hands, which Vriska promptly captchalogues.

VRISKA: Hey.  
VRISSY: Hi! Are you fighting with the Ghosts?  
VRISSY: You really shouldn't. They have even Fewer Rights than regular trolls.  
VRISKA: Yeah. A8solute tragedy right there.

She says it loud enough that the various (Eridan)s absolutely overhear.

VRISSY: Anyway! Where's Sollux?  
VRISKA: Floating somewhere near the ceiling last I checked.

Vrissy cranes her head up and spots Sollux hovering near the skylight. She cups her mouth with her hands and starts to yell.

VRISSY: HEY! SOLLUX! I GOT THE G88DS FOR YOU!!!!!!!!  
VRISSY: ALSO WE'RE LEAVING NOW!

Upon hearing those words, Sollux immediately begins to descend. Vriska and Vrissy head over to him. Vriska is more than thankful to leave that sorry scene outside the hormone store behind. Political situation or not, the ghosts still absolutely fucking suck. Another stupid feature of a stupid world.

Sollux touches down close to the fountain. Wordlessly, he holds out a hand. Vrissy forks over the second bag, which quickly vanishes into his sylladex. Vrissy, meanwhile, stuffs the final bag into a hip pouch beneath her shirt.

SOLLUX: y0u said s0mething ab0ut leaving?  
VRISSY: Yeah. Harry Texted. They're pulling into the Parking Lot right now, so we can go meet up with them.  
SOLLUX: 0h j0y.  
VRISKA: Hey, you can hang 8ack in this godforsaken mall if you'd rather.  
SOLLUX: abs0lutely fucking n0t. get us 0ut 0f here right n0w.  
VRISSY: Well, ok then! They'll 8e Parked Out 8y the southern exit. So...  
VRISSY: This Way!

Vrissy takes the lead once more, guiding Vriska and Sollux through a mass of trolls both living and dead (Vriska makes a point of deliberately not looking at the ghosts) until they reach the exit. It's a large set of automatic doors manned by two humans with assault weapons. Vrissy slows as she sees them. Vriska rolls her eyes. She could take out those chumps without even breaking a sweat. What are they gonna do to her? Shoot her? She's taken on universe-eating demons. these guys are nothing.

VRISSY: Ok, just pl8y it cool. Don't raise any suspicion.

On the other hand, Vrissy is definitely less okay around the presence of armed adult human men, mostly on account of being a very sheltered and very mortal teenager.

SOLLUX: nah.  
VRISSY: Ugh, whatever! Just. If you cause a Commotion I Don't Know Either Of You.  
VRISKA: You don't need to worry. Nothing's going to happen.

And nothing does happen. The guards don't blink an eye as the three of them head through the doorway and out of the mall. Hell, Sollux literally floats out the doors and they don't give a shit. They're probably just underpaid muscle stuck working the last job anyone would want. Lame, all of them.

But as Vriska makes her first step out into the parking lot, she suddenly pauses. She feels, out of nowhere, a set of deadly eyes bearing down on her. Slowly, casually, she spins her head around. All she sees is the human guards, remaining disinterested as ever, and a gaggle of dead Feferis rushing a Claire's. As quick as it came, the presence is gone. But Vriska's hackles remain raised.

VRISSY: Come on, they're on the Far Side!  
SOLLUX: hey n0 wh0 t0ld y0u y0u c0uld grab my hand  
VRISSY: Lmao!!!!!!!!

Vrissy eagerly pulls Sollux through the cars with unguarded confidence. Vriska follows more slowly, one hand in her pocket. She has a strange feeling that she can't shake, a feeling she hasn't felt since she was a wiggler making her way through the wilds for the first time with all the denizens of nature sizing her up as a potential meal. It's a sensation she hasn't felt on this world before. It's something new, but she doesn't like it.

Still, she carries on towards the rest of her allies, because there's nothing else she can do. But as she walks under the opaque sky, she slips her dice between her knuckles. Just in case.

iv.

Dave Strider ultimately ends up interred in an unmarked grave around the back of an abandoned, kind of shitty troll church at the age of thirty-nine. It is, as far as anyone can guess, what he would have wanted. Whether or not that includes the death itself is another question.

Jade insists on digging and re-filling the hole herself; the others mill around inside the hollowed church carcass, but Rose stays back to watch. Neither she nor Jade exchange a single word as Jade lays her husband to rest. She digs and fills the hole using only a shovel and her raw strength. The only time she uses her Space powers is to angle the coffin just right in its six-foot descent. By the time she is done, it is well past noon. The clouds that have hung heavy all morning have broken and a particularly vicious sun stings down on the badlands. Jade slams the shovel into the arid earth with a jolt of green, and that's that.

JADE: im done  
JADE: its  
JADE: hes

Jade, still dressed in her combat fatigues and caked in dirt and sweat, numbly ambles in Rose's general direction. She is the taller and stronger of the two women, but it is Rose who holds Jade steady when that dam finally bursts.

JADE: how  
JADE: how could he just do that  
ROSE: I know.  
ROSE: I know.

Rose's own throat stings as she talks. She does an expert job of breathing around a stored sob herself. For the longest time, both before and over the course of her life in this universe, Rose has been spared most of the cruellest tragedies. She hasn't really known grief since her own mother was slain on the fields of Skaia so long ago. Not even the passing of Dirk Strider touched her too badly; she was happily married and mere months away from adopting Vrissy. They'd only started to bond in the wake of the chronic headaches she'd endured in her early twenties, and that had been as short-lived as he was. His death was little more than an overnight squall on her happiness. Another iteration of a man she'd already seen die. But this, but _Dave..._

Her brother lies dead in the ground in front of her, an impossible and acidic truth. One some level, Rose has always been priming herself to eventually lose everyone she's ever cared about – Roxy, Karkat, even Kanaya and Vrissy – but not Dave. Never Dave. She's always told herself she's outgrown such a childish worldview, but one of the core foundations of Rose Lalonde's reality is the immutable fact that no matter what the world, the universe, the wider fucking metatextual reality throws at her, John, Jade, and Dave would always be there. Even in the wake of the rebellion and John's centrist cowardice, she never really lost faith that they'd all come together when the chips were really down. To occupy a reality permanently marked by Dave's absence, it... it feels cruel and impossible.

JADE: i hate him for it. i know i shouldnt but i really hate him for it rose  
JADE: our marriage was rocky and i know i ignored that fact and i know theres never really just one person to blame but  
JADE: but i feel like this is him punishing me for not loving him enough, for him not being able to love me  
JADE: this is so SO fucked up of me to say but all i can think of is that if hed still been with karkat and i hadnt been so needy hed  
JADE: that hed still be here. i feel like hes making it my fault and all i really want to do is pull that coffin out of the ground and tear his body to shreds  
JADE: but i wont  
JADE: because it wont make me feel better  
JADE: nothing will make me feel better because hes gone and he always will be gone and thats how it is forever :(

As Jade talks, she heaves like an upset boat in the ocean's churn and pounds her fists against Rose's back hard enough to bruise. Past the grief, Rose feels another wave of clotting shame. She witnessed the loveless trainwreck that was Dave and Jade unfold for years and didn't do a thing to stop it. She was so selfishly absorbed in the notion that her nuclear family unit was the only thing she needed to focus on to be personally happy, and now they're all standing in the blasted wake of that myopic halcyon nightmare.

Rose takes her time before deciding on what to say.

ROSE: I don't... I don't know that assigning blame in this situation is advisable, or even possible.  
ROSE: The circumstances surrounding Dave's... his final moments, are completely unknown, so seeking closure on the “why” is a self-destructive fool's errand.  
ROSE: I think the real enemy, if we must decide on one, is the lifestyle we all devoted ourselves to for the last twenty years.  
ROSE: The desperate complacency that comes with upholding the assimilationist purgatory of married suburbia, it... it's unhealthy for all, but uniquely terrible for us in particular.  
ROSE: For people like us, the chasm between what should make us happy and what actually does is so vast you'd need to generate another universe just to bridge it.  
ROSE: I could be glib and say that society killed Dave, but... we all bought into the con. We all let what happened between you and Dave deteriorate, and we did nothing.  
ROSE: Jade, I can't offer closure on how it ended, but I can admit that I failed you, and I can apologise for it.  
ROSE: So, I...  
ROSE: I'm sorry.  
JADE: rose you...

Jade pulls back from the embrace and blinks. Her face is miserable.

JADE: i do agree that maybe we should have never broken apart into our isolated family units  
JADE: but  
JADE: dave and i had interpersonal issues that had nothing to do with you rose  
JADE: and i dont think you being there would have actually fixed anything :(  
ROSE: I'm sorry?  
JADE: im not saying this to hurt your feelings rose but what could you have done to stop this?  
ROSE: For starters, I should have _tried_ to—

Jade shakes her head. Rose feels like she's been caught on the wrong foot, like the world is spinning beneath her.

JADE: i know that you love us because i love all you guys that much too  
JADE: but by the time karkat split from us and things started going really bad youd already distanced yourself from the rest of us for nearly ten years  
JADE: you didnt know us well enough by that point to have any insight  
JADE: like oh yeah maybe you could have guessed that both dave and i knew he was gay and we were both in denial about it because neither of us wanted to end up completely alone  
JADE: but you dont know what it was really like living together for all those years and i dont think you ever can  
JADE: we werent in love with each other and we resented each other but we didnt hate each other  
JADE: and after a certain point i dont think either of us could have left even if wed wanted to  
JADE: and i just  
JADE: ...

She has to turn away from Rose before she continue, canine ears flat against her head.

JADE: rose you had kanaya and youve always had kanaya so thats why you cant really understand  
JADE: and i appreciate your condolences and honesty but this isnt something you can involve yourself with  
JADE: what happened was between me and dave and at the end nobody knew us well enough to contribute anything meaningful  
JADE: i really am not saying this to hurt your feelings but nobody can have a say on “the davejade situation” other than me and dave because nobody was there  
ROSE: I... I see.

Rose breathes, in and out, and hopes desperately that the tightness in her throat doesn't genuinely spill out into tears.

ROSE: Jade, I...  
ROSE: We should never have drifted apart, should we?  
JADE: no i dont think so  
JADE: all its done is hurt all of us  
ROSE: Growing up was a mistake.

She laughs, without mirth. It hurts. It hurts so much. She thought she knew Jade Harley, but what she knew was the teenage girl. The woman before her is almost a stranger. And not just Jade. John, too, is a question mark in the shape of an adult man that used to be her friend. Even during the messy death of Rose and Roxy's relationship in the recent past, everything about John remained opaque. The people she crossed two universes with are as distant as the planet of her childhood.

JADE: i dont think youre wrong there  
JADE: like, i wouldnt want to go back twenty years and do it “right”, because theres still a lot about this present day that matters but  
JADE: the way we grew up was maybe the worst possible way we could have done it  
ROSE: Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade what I have with Kanaya and Vrissy for anything, but it would have been nice to maybe come into our own as non-traumatized young adults before diving ass first into a quarter-life-long heteronormative flarp.  
JADE: hehe thats definitely one way to put it  
ROSE: I remain nothing if not eloquent, even if my daughter informs me my ability to remain “Shit Hot On The Pulse” has dwindled in my middle age.  
JADE: but you know thinking about it...  
JADE: did any of us EVER go to therapy at any point at all?  
ROSE: You know, that's...  
ROSE: ...  
ROSE: I don't think we did.  
ROSE: I think Roxy and I briefly flirted with the idea in the wake of Dirk's... well...

They pause, silent for a moment. Some wounds never heal all the way. It makes Rose dread the lingering damage Dave's passing is yet to inflict on them all.

ROSE: But nothing came from it. We were all too busy being married and raising children and being complicit in our society's backslide into fascism to actually do anything about it.  
JADE: dave and i used to have weirdly revealing rap sessions where a LOT of stuff would get talked about  
JADE: but we always pretended like we said nothing of concern when we were done because i guess we were scared of where unravelling it would lead? :|  
ROSE: ...Good grief we all fucked this up so terribly.  
JADE: hehe yeah. our lives really just turned out to be this massive and totally preventable trainwreck  
ROSE: If only we'd actually paid attention to our own needs instead of playing an increasingly competitive game of denial.  
ROSE: Alas, that is not how our cookie crumbled, pardon the tone-deaf baking metaphor.  
JADE: hm  
JADE: do you ever wonder how different things really could have been?  
JADE: if whatever happened that made us all get married and be miserable never happened, where would we be instead?  
ROSE: That's

She pauses, suddenly very self-conscious. She knows the answer to this, or did, many years ago. Chief among her debilitating visions were agonising flashes into the other side of the proverbial coinflip she pushed John to make. She doesn't know the minutiae of that timeline, or its long-term prognostication, but she knows what became of her. What she did. The type of person she's capable of becoming if given enough incentive.

Jade scuffles her boots among the dirt, waiting expectantly for Rose to continue.

ROSE: I can't say.  
ROSE: I think the cosmos has it out for us one way or another. Maybe we'd have been more stable as individuals, but maybe that comes with the cost of an even worse threat than that which we're facing at present.  
ROSE: Maybe we lose more people than we have in this facet of reality.  
ROSE: Or maybe... maybe we get that balanced youth we were robbed of, and still end up making the same mistakes regardless. All fortunes or possible, but none are perfect.  
JADE: maybe yeah  
JADE: you probably have a point  
JADE: things seem to suck for us no matter what we do  
JADE: i mean how many awful timelines did it take for us to even GET to the point where we could make earth c?  
ROSE: Precisely. Regardless, for better or worse, this is where we are. These are the versions of ourselves we became. The lives we presently live are the only ones that matter.  
ROSE: And they aren't over yet.  
JADE: yeah  
JADE: so...  
JADE: what do we do now??

Before Rose can answer, there's a loud creak and the slam of wood on stone coming from the general direction of the church's front door, followed by a soft breeze that wraps around her hair.

JOHN: hey guys. how are you doing out here?  
JOHN: i thought i'd check on you since there's only so much passive aggressive grilling from kanaya i can take at once.

John Egbert stands a few sheepish feet away, eyes alert but weary. Rose feels another sharp ache in her chest as she looks at him. He's grown taller, beefier, than the boy she once called her best friend. He's dressed in a generic shirt and jeans and has exchanged the mustache of his marriage for an arguably more fashionable growth of stubble across his face. The only sign of a personality that isn't a walking adult male impression is his dark hair that remains as plagued by windblown cow-licks as ever. She looks at him, and she realises she has no clue which layers of the man before her are genuine, and which a thin facade.

JOHN: did you... did you finish with the, um...  
JADE: yes i finished burying daves dead body if thats what youre asking john  
JOHN: ok, yeah, that's... that's good, that it's over.  
JOHN: i mean, not good that dave is gone, but that the saying goodbye part is done  
JOHN: what i mean to say is that you never, uh, finish mourning someone, especially not someone who was your husband and best friend for twenty five years, but  
JOHN: but  
JOHN: jade i don't  
JOHN: it's been so long and i know i shouldn't  
JOHN: sorry i  
JOHN: i

He can't finish. John balls his fists and lasts ten seconds before being overcome with racking sobs that make every inch of his frame tremble. It turns out he is a loud crier, heaving and hitching hard enough that it's a miracle he doesn't throw up. His face burns a deep red and behind his fogged glasses his face is drenched with tears.

JADE: oh god come here you great big idiot

And for the first time in many, many years, Jade Harley takes her brother in an embrace.

JOHN: god fuck jade i  
JOHN: i'm so so fucking sorry  
JOHN: he's gone and it's horrible it's so horrible but he was YOUR husband and i know it's not about me but it  
JOHN: dave can't be gone!!!!!  
JADE: john dont be such a dumbass youre allowed to be sad too! we all loved dave!  
JOHN: but  
JOHN: but *i* should be comforting *you*, not the other way around!  
JADE: john why the fuck does that even matter at all!  
JOHN: because  
JOHN: because it's the man's job to comfort the women in times of crisis, isn't it?  
JOHN: so i  
JADE: oh my GOD

Jade gives John a sharp slap across the face. Rose, still the bystander, winces in sympathy. But it seems to snap John out of his delirium; he blinks at Jade a couple times, eyes wide.

JADE: since when have any of us ever bought into that crap?  
JOHN: i just  
JOHN: i thought  
JOHN: isn't that what i'm meant to do? given that i'm now, um  
JOHN: the um  
JOHN: the man in this situation?  
JADE: :|  
JADE: john im giving you a free pass because were all in shock and mourning right now but you need to know that was the largest pile of hogwash i have ever heard and i lived with dave strider for the past sixteen years so thats really saying something  
JOHN: fuck sorry i  
JOHN: i just  
JOHN: i just don't know what to *do* in this situation.  
JOHN: i've been checked out of, well, everything for so long that i have no fucking clue what kind of person i'm meant to be in any given situation.  
JOHN: but i really don't want to let you down now, jade, not after all this time. :(  
JADE: i get that youre trying john but what i really need from you is for you to be a person i can cry together with  
JADE: because if im being really honest? i dont think i can hold it together for much longer and i  
JADE: i really really just need someone to hold onto until i  
JADE: oh god :(

Jade lets out one huge sniffle, then she's burying herself into John's shoulder just as John collapses into hers, and they both sob like loud and broken children flung unfairly into adult lives before their time, and then oh god Rose is crying too and then _she's_ dragged into the hug, and it's just that for a long time, three wounded gods howling out, entwined parts that will never again assemble a complete whole.

This goes on for some time. Rose isn't sure how long. All she knows is the weakness in her legs and the heaving in her chest and the warmth of her dearest and oldest friends and the miserable finality of a death that should never have happened.

When she comes to again, the three of them are in a sad little heap on the ground, backs up against the church wall. The sun's warmed the dirt and the stone enough that there's something almost pleasant and peaceful about the current situational arrangement. So long as one avoids making eye contact with the conspicuous mound twenty feet away.

Rose pulls away from the group with some resistance, stretching her neck to roll out the crick. Her throat burns with the aftermath of a terrible crying session, but she also feels lighter somehow, afforded that strange and funny kind of catharsis you only attain after hitting rock bottom.

ROSE: God we're fucking wrecks.

She lets out a hoarse laugh that causes John and Jade to look at her in bleary bewilderment.

JOHN: what makes you think that?

Rose laughs again, then realises John's being absolutely, one hundred percent sincere.

ROSE: We're three fully-grown adults on the cusp of reaching forty years of age, married and with kids, and we just spent the last god knows how long huddled on the floor in a fugue state.  
ROSE: I am aware that grief is unpredictable and slippery, but I am also certain that normal people don't do whatever the fuck we just did.  
JOHN: huh. really?  
JOHN: i, uh... would now be a bad time to say i never saw anything wrong in reacting that way to stuff?  
JOHN: i mean, normally i kind of just stand there all numb when bad shit happens, but on the inside this is how i basically always feel.  
JADE: wow john thats kind of concerning not gonna lie  
JADE: then again i cant talk because who decides to personally bury their own husband out of spite and then have a total breakdown  
JADE: and thats not even getting into how absolutely fucked up my marriage was to begin with :/  
JOHN: ha ha, same here.  
JOHN: with the fucked up marriage part, i mean.  
JADE: at least roxy wasnt gay  
JOHN: well, i mean, she could be? way before we dated, remember how she and calliope used to be?  
JOHN: but she DID break up with calliope, and i know for a fact that she was genuinely in love with me for a while, even if, um... yeah.  
JADE: well for me not only did dave never get over karkat but im fairly sure he was never actually attracted to women period :S  
JADE: which i ignored like a desperate horny idiot  
JOHN: hey! i don't think any of that is necessarily true.  
JOHN: i mean, i'm not touching the second part because you are literally my own sister, and the less i know about your sex life the better.  
JOHN: but i definitely remember dave having a crush on you way back in sburb, and also you and dave sprite were in a relationship in my original time line.  
JADE: john  
JADE: that was twenty five years ago why would any of that be relevant now  
JOHN: well, it could be?  
JOHN: i mean, *i* barely feel different from the person i was back then, so it happens!  
JADE: ...  
JOHN: what? did i say something weird?  
ROSE: I rest my case.

Rose leans back. John, meanwhile, leaps to his feet with an indignant and unsettled expression on his face.

JOHN: no, nothing's settled! no cases are rested here at all!  
JOHN: what was wrong with what i just said?  
ROSE: Where do I start?

She stands, slowly and deliberately. At the same time, Jade kind of just zaps into a standing position.

ROSE: First off, the fact that somehow you're even _more_ wilfully repressed than Jade "I chose to ignore the fact that I was marrying a gay man" Harley.  
JADE: hey!!  
ROSE: Can you truly assert that that is not precisely what you did, Jade?  
JADE: well erm  
JADE: no :X  
ROSE: At least you were granted with the boon of awareness, no matter how retroactive.  
ROSE: John, however,  
ROSE: I think you deserve an award for somehow managing to remain in the same psychological stasis for a sustained quarter century.  
JOHN: that's a little unfair.  
JOHN: just the other week, i realized that i DO in fact have depression.  
ROSE: A drop in your non-euclidean PTSD-shaped well.  
JOHN: hey! i do not have ptsd!  
ROSE: John. Please.

Rose shakes her head and smiles wryly.

ROSE: Every single one of us is riddled with unaddressed trauma.  
ROSE: I, for one, find myself increasingly reticent towards the prospect of sun drenched coastlines.  
ROSE: And even if you ignore my compromised relationship with drink, I can scarce be in the same room as red wine held within a martini glass without a terrible case of the shakes.  
ROSE: I'm sure Jade has an equal amount of damaging and benign triggers that she must navigate on a day to day basis.  
JADE: not that i ever like to think about them :/  
JADE: but yeah i do have a large number of stupid stuff that upsets me or reminds me of all the horrible things i went through for no apparent reason  
JOHN: shit. i'm sorry to hear that, you two?  
ROSE: Believe me, you are not exempt here, Egbert.  
ROSE: Humor me for a moment. Has anything felt real or substantial to you since you crossed that threshold on the victory platform at age sixteen?  
JOHN: well, obviously?  
JOHN: i mean, i got married and had a kid, and then got divorced.  
ROSE: That's not what I asked. I am asking if you can do more than barely-tolerate your post-adolescent existence.  
ROSE: If, given the chance, you wouldn't just leap back in time to your bygone youth, just so that things can finally make sense to you again.  
JOHN: ...

John turns away from her. She's struck the nerve. No matter how much the years have dulled their abilities, Rose's knack for insight into the core of any given problem remains sharp as ever.

JOHN: this is really embarrassing to admit, and i've only ever told one  
JOHN: i've only ever told two people about this. roxy, the other day, and, well...

He pushes out a deep breath.

JOHN: i...  
JOHN: for a long time, i hated living here, because nothing about earth c ever felt *real* to me?  
JOHN: and i used to tell myself that it was weirdness from knowing that our current time line isn't canon and that i helped in making that decision.  
JOHN: except, i don't know that that was the entire truth?  
JOHN: i think a major part of it was that yeah, a part of me never actually managed to leave sburb on a psychological level, and also...  
JOHN: i don't know, something else? like, maybe *i'm* not a real person?  
JOHN: sorry, this is dumb. i'm just rambling about my own problems at my best friend's funeral like a weirdo.  
JOHN: this is the first time we've all been together for years and i'm treating you two like my own personal therapy team.

John looks to Jade guiltily. Jade takes a few moments before replying.

JADE: well, i dont exactly mind?  
JADE: daves dead and thats really fucked up but we cant just sit around mourning forever  
JADE: like you said its been so long since any of us were together!  
JADE: and well i might be misremembering but back in the day we all used to shoot the shit and hash out our problems late into the night with each other  
JADE: because we trusted each other and loved each other and thats what friends do  
JADE: we try to help each other  
JADE: even if some of us CLEARLY think they dont deserve to be helped or whatever nonsense is rattling around in their brain right now -_-  
JADE: *cough* john egbert *cough*  
JOHN: ...  
JADE: look  
JADE: my husband just died and were in the middle of a planet wide war and everything is really fucked up right now  
JADE: and ive been lonely before  
JADE: lonely a lot of times really!  
JADE: and if theres one thing ive learned over my life is that i never want to end up alone again  
JADE: i want to reconnect with you guys  
JADE: because i love all of you and everything sucks and we need to lean on each other if were gonna get through this!  
JOHN: jade...

John frowns. There's something troubled on his face.

JOHN: shit, i'm really sorry.  
JOHN: i didn't realize. i didn't think.  
JADE: well now you can and now you will because i am telling you!  
JADE: we are here together and your problems are my problems and my problems are yours!

Jade takes his hands. There are tears in the corners of her eyes.

JADE: because were still here  
JADE: and i would like for us to stay that way for as long as possible so  
JADE: work with me here john  
JADE: please

She's shaking a little by the end of her proposal. Rose takes the moment to step in herself.

ROSE: You know, I'd appreciate it too if you were to reconcile and reconnect with us, John.  
ROSE: If today's taught us anything, it's that trying to get through life on our own is a notoriously terrible idea.  
ROSE: And, to parrot Jade's words...  
ROSE: I've really missed us, too.  
JOHN: ...

John's whole body is rigid, a wound up coil ready to bolt for it at the slightest sign. There are a lot of emotions warring for dominance on his face, too quickly for Rose to divine anything out of. But eventually, he settles on something warm and firm.

JOHN: yeah, you...  
JOHN: you're right.  
JOHN: rose, jade, i...  
JOHN: i would like to start again.  
JOHN: i want to have *us* back.  
JOHN: so.  
JOHN: let's start over?  
JADE: thats all i wanted to hear <3

Jade lets out a single sob except now her mouth is stretched in a smile. She leans over to pull Rose and John in for another group hug, but at the same time...

JAKE: Howdy gang. Hows the business?  
KANAYA: Yes Business  
KANAYA: That Is Absolutely The Word One Would Use To Describe The Intricate And Messy Process Of Mourning A Recently Departed Dear Friend And Family Member You Strange And Insufferable Little Man

Jake and Kanaya walk down the path from the church to the backlot – at a less than sensible seven-foot-minimum distance. Jake Crocker—English now, Rose must assume—remains looking like the celebrity washout they've all come to know him as, wringing his tie nervously with one hand and mussing up his hair with the other. Kanaya regards him as if he were the squirming remains of a rodent dragged in through the threshold by a particularly disrespectful and delinquent feline. She also has her lipstick firmly clasped in one hand.

KANAYA: Rose How Are You Faring  
ROSE: Kanaya, darling.  
ROSE: Well enough, I think.  
ROSE: John, Jade, and I have made quantifiable headway in reparing our estranged relationships.  
ROSE: And Dave...  
ROSE: Time will blunt that knife, so to speak.  
JAKE: Absolutely spiffing news ms lalonde. So nice to see how the strength of camaraderia can barricade away even the reapers pall of misery.  
ROSE: Erm, thanks?

Kanaya immediately swings her head around to him, fangs bared in a hiss. Her skin starts to radiate a faint, threatening glow. It is clear for all to see that if she had the approval to do so, she would rip this man to fucking shreds. Rose herself has to admit to feeling some level of unease, too. For the longest time, Jake has been literally in bed with the enemy – public enemy number three. Or two now, she supposes. The specifics on how Makara bit the dirt are nebulous, but also something literally nobody is interested in at any point ever.

KANAYA: You Have Also Found It In Your Heart To Forgive The Resident Centrist I See

She motions to John, who inches a little behind Jade to evade her gaze.

ROSE: We've been through this. Yes, John fucked up by ignoring the plight of the trolls and neglecting to play any kind of role in the war, but he's not a bad man.  
KANAYA: The Same Way That You Maintained That Roxy Was A Good Woman  
KANAYA: Even When She Was Appearing Front And Center On Crockers Own Propaganda Reality Show Network  
ROSE: Okay, maybe I have a bad track record. But not John.  
ROSE: He's already turned on the Crocker regime, and if blowing up drones in the Human Kingdom capitol isn't proof enough, I don't know what is.  
KANAYA: He Also Allowed Crockers Husband And Offspring To Infiltrate The Rebellion  
ROSE: Darling, you don't mean to tell me that you think either of those two pose any kind of meaningful threat to the movement.  
KANAYA: Maybe Its The Principle Of The Thing  
KANAYA: Maybe Just Maybe I Have A Problem Being Around Cowardly Bootlickers  
JOHN: um, do i get a say in this?  
KANAYA: No You Do Not John  
JAKE: And i?  
KANAYA: You Even Less So

Kanaya is entirely frosty, unable to make her feelings any clearer. Rose winces a little. These are bridges that will take a long time to repair, if they ever can be.

JOHN: kanaya, i already said how sorry i was for abandoning you in your hour of need.  
KANAYA: More Like Decade Of Need  
JOHN: ouch. you know what i mean.  
KANAYA: Also Yes I Do Acknowledge Your Verbal Apology  
KANAYA: But I Do Not Accept It And I Will Not Forgive You  
KANAYA: Not Until You Make Substantial Amends And Not Until You Prove Yourself As A Genuine Member Of This Revolution  
ROSE: But you'll at least tolerate him?  
KANAYA: Only Because He Matters To You And To Jade And Mattered To Dave  
KANAYA: But I Will Tolerate You From An Arms Length And No Closer  
JOHN: i guess that's ok. and kanaya, i really am so fucking sorry for flaking out on what is definitely the most crucial thing any of us have ever lived through.  
JOHN: i promise, i *will* make it up to you.  
KANAYA: Show It With Actions Not Words And Then And Only Then May I Regard You With Anything Other Than Total Apathy  
JOHN: thank you, kanaya.  
KANAYA: This Is Not A Second Chance  
KANAYA: Redeem Yourself Or We Are Done Forever  
JAKE: Erm, and what about me?  
KANAYA: You

Kanaya rounds on Jake again, who flinches bodily.

KANAYA: You And Your Wretched Offspring Will Make For Decent Meatshields And Little More  
KANAYA: You Personally Will Not Live To See This Wars End There Is Simply Too Much Blood On Your Hands To Allow Otherwise  
JAKE: ...  
KANAYA: You Dont Get To Present State Sponsored Executions For An Entire Decade And Walk Away From That  
KANAYA: Tell Me Jake  
KANAYA: How Many Of The Eleven Thousand Six Hundred And Thirteen Trolls That You Murdered On Live Television Over The Last Decade Can You Name Or Even Remember  
JAKE: Golly thats... when you put it like that...  
KANAYA: No Amount Of Abuse You Endured Can Excuse Those Crimes  
KANAYA: There Is Always A Choice  
KANAYA: And You Made Yours  
JAKE: And tavvy? I will man up and admit to my shortcomings vis a vis complicity in the worst genocide in history but his sole crime stands at being born into earth cs most evil family and little more!

There's a rare spark in Jake's eyes when he speaks about his son. A sign that there is a human being somewhere down there. Rose doesn't know if that makes her hate him or pity him more. She remains silent witness. This is Kanaya's injustice to address.

KANAYA: The Boy May Live  
KANAYA: Provided He Does Not Betray Hinder Or Otherwise Damage Our Cause  
KANAYA: Because Unlike You Animals We At Least Understand The Concept Of Basic Fucking Mercy  
JAKE: Then i suppose we are in agreement.  
JAKE: Do what you will with me but please give tavros a chance. My son should not pay for my crimes.  
KANAYA: You Do Not Get To Set The Terms  
KANAYA: Your Son Will Be Used As A Political Bargaining Tool Or A Hostage Or However We See Fit  
KANAYA: But We Will Not Be Cruel  
JAKE: Thank you.  
KANAYA: Never Ask Me For Anything Ever Again

Another silence falls over the group, like a chill that cuts right through the warm afternoon. Rose looks at Kanaya. Kanaya looks at Jake. Jake looks at John. John looks at Jade. Jade, finally, breaks the uncomfortable inertia.

JADE: so other than to draw lines in the sand on how to treat the newcomers to the rebellion what brings you two out here??  
JADE: because i get the sense that thats not the only thing you have to say  
KANAYA: Yes  
KANAYA: Of Course  
KANAYA: The Reason I Decided To Interrupt Your Grieving Process Is  
JAKE: By all accounts it seems our lads have done quite the scarper!  
ROSE:  
JOHN:  
JADE:  
KANAYA:  
KANAYA: Yes  
KANAYA: What He Said

She groans, running a hand over her face.

KANAYA: I Have Seen Neither Hide Nor Hair Of Harry Anderson Or Tavros  
KANAYA: (Good Grief Why The Hell Was He Named That)  
KANAYA: And Also It Is Quite Apparent That Johns Car Has Surreptitiously Vanished From The Parking Lot  
KANAYA: Complete With Conspicuous Tyre Marks Bound In The General Direction Of The Town Of Cavalreap  
JADE: wait what? :o  
JOHN: harry and tavros are gone?  
KANAYA: That Is In Fact What I Just Said Yes  
KANAYA: Obviously This Poses A Problem Of Significant Scale  
JOHN: why would they go there?

Kanaya looks at John blankly.

KANAYA: Your Uncanny Ability To Remain Entirely Out Of The Loop On Any And All Relevant Goings On Never Fails To Make Me Despair  
JOHN: uh...  
ROSE: Let me explain.

Rose turns to face John, who's doing a pretty good facial impression of a fish dropped thousands of miles from the nearest body of water.

ROSE: Cavalreap is where we're due to rendezvous once we're finished with the funeral.  
ROSE: Awaiting us are Vrissy, and if she is to be believed, the original Vriska Serket.  
JAKE: Golly gee the what now?  
JOHN: so THAT'S where (vriska) ended up?  
ROSE: You... already knew about that?

Rose blinks, shaking her head.

ROSE: You never fail to surprise, John.  
KANAYA: I Am In Shock That You Actually Know Something Worthwhile  
JOHN: heh heh, thanks?  
JOHN: but yeah, i met (vriska) the other day out on the battlefield. she fell from one of the ghost rifts a couple of hours before you guys all got there.  
JOHN: she got really pissed off about being sucked into a black hole and not being able to see lord english die or something?  
JOHN: and then GAMZEE of all fucking people showed up, and she and him, um...  
JOHN: anyway, once that was over, vriska showed up, and i guess she and (vriska) are now together?  
JOHN: or, well, i guess i can stop saying (vriska) now that vrissy has a distinct enough name.  
ROSE: That's a decent enough summation of events.  
JOHN: the whole thing was weird, to be honest. like i'm just there being sad, then suddenly vriska serket's yelling at me, then she beats gamzee to death and bonds with her alt universe clone self in the bushes where his corpse is? fucking bizarre.  
JADE: wait so it was VRISKA who took down the clown?? :O  
KANAYA: Well Shit  
KANAYA: Thats A Hell Of A Mystery No One Thought Was A Mystery And Didnt Even Really Need Solving  
KANAYA: But Damn If It Didnt Just Get Solved  
JOHN: thanks?  
ROSE: But more crucial for us is that Vriska poses a unique advantage to the rebellion, given her... talents. And Vrissy is too young and vulnerable to be alone in an active warzone for too long.  
ROSE: So we all need to reconvene and plan our next move from there, given that the number of key players we have access to has increased drastically over the last 72 hours.  
ROSE: Cavalreap is the most convenient transportalizer spot, hence our current location.  
JOHN: ah, ok. that makes sense i guess.  
ROSE: And the problem is that we have three teenagers (plus one Vriska) left unattended in a heavily occupied Troll Kingdom town crawling with Crocker forces.  
ROSE: Surely I don't need to spell out to you why that is really fucking bad news.  
JOHN: no, no i get it.  
JOHN: haha, geez, everything seems to be happening at once!

John gives a hollow laugh, but his face is strained. This is clearly not a man used to any kind of substantial action or tumult in his life. And yet... there's a strange spark to his eyes, too, Rose observes. Almost as if the inner traumatized child is chomping at the bit to dive headfirst into something relevant and dangerous.

JOHN: so what do we do?  
JADE: i can hop us all into town asap but well need to know exactly where they are first  
JADE: john can you get in touch with harry anderson?  
JOHN: um, i can try.

John pulls out his phone and sends off a few rapid messages. A minute passes, then two, and there's evidently no response. John's expression sinks, just a little.

JOHN: nothing.  
JOHN: ok, i think i'm starting to get worried now?  
JADE: no it should be fine  
JADE: just means well have to teleport all over town in a sweep until we find them  
JADE: so much for a quiet approach :/  
JOHN: you mean, there might be violence?  
JADE: once the drones or the cops spot us absolutely  
ROSE: Does everyone have their specibus ready?

Nods from everyone, including John.

ROSE: This could get nasty.  
ROSE: Kanaya, any chance of getting in touch with Karkat?  
KANAYA: I Do Not Think So  
KANAYA: The Business At Outglut^2 Is Still Underway And From The Looks Of Things The Psionic Jammer Is Preventing Any Signals Getting In Or Out  
ROSE: Damn. We'll be on our own then.  
ROSE: It's a good thing we're all immortal.  
JOHN: haha, wow, this is serious, isn't it?  
ROSE: It's war, John. And our children's lives are at stake.  
JAKE: Hey um everybody not to but in and cut the pre battle psyche up short or anything but  
JAKE: There seems to be events going down over yonder.

They all turn to Jake, who has wandered over to the far end of the church lot. He's pointing further past that, at the distant outline of a town at the bottom of the valley. As they all gather round and look, Jade's dog ears suddenly twitch.

JADE: i hear guns  
JOHN: shit, really?  
JADE: yeah  
JADE: doesnt sound good

Rose strains for a moment, then she hears it. Faint pops, ricocheting off the landscape, but recognisable once she knows what she's listening for. Her heart bungees down into the pit of her stomach, then snaps back up into her throat.

KANAYA: We Should Go  
KANAYA: Right Now  
KANAYA: The Kids Might Be In Danger  
ROSE: Yes, let's—

But Rose doesn't finish. All at once, the gunfire stops. Then, as the five gods stare down in confusion at Cavalreap, they are witness to the precise moment half the town is subsumed by a violent, earth-shattering explosion.

v.

Hour fifteen of the siege on Outglut^2 rolls by without any sign of things slowing down. Night turns into morning turns into noon turns into afternoon, and the Crocker forces keep assailing the city, and the psionics keep powering the Skaian forcefield that deflects each blow. It is the longest, most gruelling war of attrition.

Karkat Vantas watches a lilac spirograph bloom one thousand feet above his head that eats an incoming napalm missile and dumps it in the furthest corner of an as-yet-unborn galaxy. All that remains is the shimmering, nearly-imperceptible dome of light that is the only defense preventing the dozen square miles beneath it turning to ash. He is at present standing at the base of some faceless skyscraper the next block over from the psionic force keeping the generator alive, close enough that every one of his hairs stands up on end from the static charge in the air.

The situation is, to be blunt, not fucking great. There are only so many psionics with so much juice in them, and the forces are starting to flag. Crocker's forces, meanwhile, seem endless in comparison. It's hard to keep up a sustained barricade against the largest automated fleet money can buy. Additionally, the generator actually only prevents physical matter from coming through; individual corporate troops have been trying to hack transportalizers all over the city and hop in that way, which means the technological power of the rebels is split yet another way. They're being stretched too thin. Something's going to give sooner or later.

And the worst part? Karkat can't even think straight enough to focus on this slowly-unfolding disaster in front of him. All he can think about is a small church some several hundred miles away and the intimate funeral procession currently underway. Alternatively, and more painfully, he can think about the task force he sent out last night, and what became of _them_. The truth is, he's starting to grow tired, even though the road ahead still stretches out beyond an unseen horizon.

He sighs, rubbing his temples. Everyone here wants something they can't have. Everyone here is fighting against that same unfairness. Just because he's lost that which he wants most doesn't mean every other troll fighting for the right to stay alive deserves to have it all ripped away too. He pulls out his comms device. It's near 12:30. Time to keep fulfilling the duty he owes to his comrades.

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling abyssalAquatica [AA] at 12:27 --  
CG: MEENAH, STATUS REPORT.  
AA: H---EY SHOUTY 38)  
AA: we p much got the seastern district under lockdown  
AA: carporate guppies keep tryna trip the transportalizer but our dudes shits on fuckin fire  
AA: couple redsuits got thru but yours truly showed em her baddest of bad bitch moves  
CG: GOOD TO HEAR. HOW LONG CAN YOU HOLD THE LINE FOR?  
AA: gotta couple more hours in us -EASY  
AA: 'fronz n his crew over on the west end are doin well too  
AA: but you know how crazy competent them olive boys can get  
CG: FRONZ?  
AA: alfonz  
AA: S-EARIOUSLY how hard is it for you to keep up with the fish puns  
AA: that ive been doing for Y-EARS at this point  
CG: SORRY. I'VE GOT A LOT OF SHIT GOING ON, AND YOUR GRATING WORDPLAY KIND OF FALLS SHORT ON THE PRIORITY LADDER.  
AA: bluh bluh  
CG: ALSO, WHEN THE FUCK DID *ALFONZ* GET PUT IN CHARGE OF THE WESTERN TEAM?  
AA: since batterbitch decided to fuckin off swifer and pals like it was nofin  
CG: FUCK, RIGHT. I FORGOT.  
CG: I FORGOT THAT SHE

He leans back against the brick wall and tilts his head to the sky. Dave is a pain he's long since contended with, but Swifer stings in a way he didn't realise it would. Fuck, he... He should never have taken the risk with a decoy squad. That's two people now from his closest circle that have died on him, and he has the grim feeling that number will only increase. How many of his friends' blood will be on his hands when all is said and done? Will there even be anything left for him once peace is won?

CG: ANYWAY. YOU AND ALFONZ HAVE SHIT IN HAND, RIGHT?  
AA: pretty much yeah  
AA: northside still evacuated as per your oarders  
AA: transportalizers are dark too  
CG: GOOD.  
AA: how much longer till we get to shut shit off on our end  
AA: cause while were handling these small fry with absolute ease  
AA: these fuckers just keep coming  
CG: WE STILL NEED MORE SUPPLY SHIPMENTS IN FROM BASE.  
AA: more???  
CG: LIKE YOU SAID, CROCKER'S SHOWING NO SIGN OF SLOWING.  
CG: WE HAVE TO PREPARE TO RIDE THIS OUT FOR THE LONG HAUL.  
AA: well fuck 38/  
AA: kinda blows  
AA: idk cant we just go out there and start reely bustin some shit up?  
CG: IF WE DO THAT, WE LOSE THE CITY.  
CG: WERE YOU NEVER SCHOOLFED THE BASICS OF SIEGE WARFARE OR SOMETHING  
AA: DUH  
AA: grew up on a lameo peaceplanet case you forgot  
AA: this deadly shit i got goin on is self taught  
CG: RIGHT, YEAH. OF COURSE.  
CG: SORRY FOR ASSUMING THAT DURING THE NEARLY FIVE SWEEPS YOU'VE BEEN ON THIS PLANET  
CG: OR THE LITERAL FUCKING MILLENNIA YOU SPENT IN THE VOID  
CG: THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LEARNED A THING OR TWO ABOUT LITERALLY ANYTHING!  
AA: stfu shouty i dont have time for your grubtier tantrums  
AA: all that matters is i know how to kill a motherfucker like a pro which i do  
AA: who tf needs that bookworm shit  
CG: WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS ARGUMENT.  
CG: I'VE TOLD YOU COUNTLESS TIMES THAT ACTION WITHOUT THEORY IS SHAPELESS VIOLENCE THAT ALWAYS LOSES AGAINST THE DEATH MACHINE THAT IS THE STATE  
CG: YOU CAN'T JUST BLOW SHIT UP INDISCRIMINATELY!  
AA: oh my GOD  
AA: if i wanted to date a smartass id have stuck w windfang  
AA: rip to my homegirl aranea  
AA: kinda fucked up after all these sweeps weve not seen a single serket ghost huh  
CG: I DON'T CARE!  
CG: I DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS ONE IOTA!!  
CG: WE ARE NOT USING OFFICIAL REBELLION COMMUNICATION CHANNELS FOR SUCH ASININE HORSESHIT!!!  
AA: you started it nubs  
CG: OK FINE WHATEVER!!! BUT I'M ALSO FINISHING IT RIGHT NOW!!!!  
AA: alright alright!  
AA: jesus fuckin christ  
AA: dont take out the fact youre regrettin not goin to your ex boywifes funeral on me  
CG: AND WE ARE ***EXTRA*** NEVER TALKING ABOUT DAVE!!!!!!!!!  
CG: THIS CONVERSATION IS DONE.  
CG: I'LL REPORT BACK WITH AN UPDATE AT 18:00  
CG: OVER AND OUT  
AA: love you too you grouchy motherfucker  
AA: <3  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling abyssalAquatica [AA] at 12:48 --

Karkat closes down his comms device and does a series of deep breaths. He can feel the soft vibrations of the defense portals rerouting the ceaseless assault. The air around him is warm and windless, blocked off by the dome. Eventually the city will run out of air, but they're all banking on Crocker running out of artillery first. But now more than ever he wants a stiff breeze to scream into.

Dave is dead. Swifer is dead. He's trapped with the bulk of his forces inside a city that has done nothing but endure, endure. There hasn't been a second for him to breathe, for him to stop, since they mobilised those few days ago that already feel like sweeps. He can feel it all eating at him, like a hole, a caged animal desperate for a release that can't come, not for a long while, not while he... he...

KARKAT: FUCK  
KARKAT: FUCK!!!!!

He aggressively swipes at his one good eye with a gunpowder-stained hand, leaving a dark smudge on his cheek cut in two by a streak of red tears. Karkat tries to bite it down, but he's on the edge of feeling all the stress piling on him at once. His breathing goes funny and he finds himself leaning against the wall more out of a necessity than anything else.

KARKAT: DAMN IT  
KARKAT: I...

A Crocker warship flies too close to the forcefield and explodes in a ball of fire. And Karkat, ground-level witness, loses the futile battle to keep his emotions in check.

He knows he gets ugly and sloppy when he cries, has known since he was an outcast child on Alternia living on borrowed time. That time feels so long ago now, those weeks spent struggling to birth a universe halcyon in comparison. Every single one of his Sgrub coplayers save for Kanaya is dead and gone. Half of them died so long ago now that he can barely remember what they were like. Terezi and Vriska were chewed up by the void decades ago, and who the fuck knows what happened to Aradia following her five minute funeral cameo that basically feels like a hallucination at this point. And Gamzee... Gamzee...

The less said about Gamzee the better. The fetid juggalo's carcass is rotting somewhere among the garbage heap of the main rebel camp in the city. Karkat only wishes he was the one to turn him into sloppy roadkill. But in his own grotesque, shameful way, he was one of the few remaining ties to a life long since lost to Karkat. He feels so adrift. He feels so alone.

Earth C has given him purpose, yes, but not home. None of it, not the community rallied around him, not his fortified underground quarters, not even Meenah, makes him feel like he has a place here. He feels like he blinked, and now he's this child stuck blindly piloting an adult body without a manual. In his darkest, most selfish moments, Karkat is deeply envious of Terezi for spending half a sweep here then deciding to exit stage left out of the fucking universe. When his closest companion left is an alternate reality version of the interstellar dictator who kept his homeworld firmly under her bootheel, he gets the sense that somewhere along the way something went very wrong. After this war is won, he... he doesn't know what he'll do.

Karkat suddenly snaps to attention. There's a new noise. Rapid pattering of feet on asphalt that cuts through the muffled booming against the barrier and the faint crackling hum of psionics burning themselves to the bone. On reflex, he presses himself further into the shadow of the building and draws his gun. There shouldn't be any threats in the city, but he'd be a fucking idiot for assuming that the transportalizers are as locked down as the reports indicate.

??????: commander vantas! commander vantas!

A figure emerges from around the end of the empty street. A troll, clutching what looks like a tablet in both hands. Karkat steps out from his hiding space, cautious. This is a race war, but Crocker has her sleeper agents.

??????: commander vantas i need y∞ t∞WHOA!!!!

The troll stops dead in the street upon seeing Karkat standing there. Either that, or it's the loaded handgun giving pause.

KARKAT: I'M HERE.  
KARKAT: IS THERE A REASON YOU'RE SCREAMING MY NAME LOUD ENOUGH THAT THEY CAN HEAR IT OUTSIDE THE DOME?  
??????: sorry about that commander vantas it's just i was given a top priority order from the guys on base.  
KARKAT: YOU'RE FROM BASE?  
??????: yep!

It's now that Karkat puts a face to the name. Lemnis Sinmel, one of the new intelligence apprentices. He recognises the two sets of conjoined arch-shaped horns, the non-standard infinity sigil on his jacket, and the wide eyes that are uncommonly devoid of psionic colouration despite the kid being a goldblood well into his ninth sweep. He's one of Swifer's, Karkat realises with a sharp stab to the chest.

KARKAT: HOW DID YOU GET IN?  
LEMNIS: technician cr∞ opened the southside transportalizer for me.  
KARKAT: BUT I EXPLICITLY ORDERED—  
LEMNIS: yeah we kn∞ about the barricade order and they wouldn't have let me thr∞ if this wasn't really important commander vantas!  
KARKAT: SO IMPORTANT THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN RELAYED VIA COMMS?  
LEMNIS: i'm sorry if y∞'re disappointed but it wasn't my call t∞ make.  
LEMNIS: orders came straight from commander maryam herself.  
KARKAT: SHIT, KANAYA?

He furrows his brow and hopes his frown hasn't ticked too far into worry.

KARKAT: IS SHE OKAY?  
KARKAT: DID SOMETHING HAPPEN AT D  
KARKAT: AT THE FUNERAL?  
LEMNIS: well kinda?  
LEMNIS: the f∞neral went off without problems i think.  
LEMNIS: but her report indicates that something's happening in cavalreap.  
LEMNIS: something that might involve the gods' kids?  
KARKAT: SHIT. SHE GIVE ANY MORE DETAILS?  
LEMNIS: i have the full report here commander vantas.  
LEMNIS: she tried t∞ get thr∞ t∞ y∞ but the barrier was blocking her out.  
LEMNIS: here.

Lemnis hands the tablet over to Karkat. It's open to a particularly lengthy-looking pesterlog in Kanaya's distinct flare.

\-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 11:33 --  
GA: This Is A Complete Longshot But I Am Sending These Messages To You In The Hopes You See Them In A Timely Manner  
GA: There Have Been  
GA: A Number  
GA: Shall We Say  
GA: Of Conspicuous Developments Since Last We Spoke  
GA: Id Say Im Going To Start With The Trunkbeast In The Block But In Our Case There Are Two Equally Gargantuan Behemoths Vying For The Utmost Attention Of Our Poor Overexploited Brain Cells  
GA: So Ill Start With The Least Pressing But Most Stupid Issue  
GA: John Egbert Has Brought It Upon Himself To Deliver Us Jake Crocker And Son As Part Of His Defection Package Deal  
GA: For Now The Man Is Compliant And Though I Would Like Nothing More Than To Grind Him To Paste Under My Shoes I Am Entirely Aware Of The Strategic Advantage Such A Hostage Offers  
GA: Rudimentary Intel Also Shows This Is A Fact Crocker Herself Is Currently Unaware Of  
GA: Even If She Suspects Her Ex Husband Or However The Fuck Their Wretched Relationship Turned Out Has Turned Against Her There Is As Yet No Indication She Suspects He Would End Up With Us  
GA: For Obvious Reasons  
GA: I Know That I Am To Assume Authority In Your Stead So Long As You Are Afield But I Feel Jake Crocker Is An Issue Best Dealt With Collectively  
GA: You Are Much More Capable Of Handling Scum Like Him With A Clear Head  
GA: So Concludes My Report On Issue Number One  
GA: Issue Number Two Is More Immediately Concerning And By Its Very Nature You May Be Too Late To Assist By The Time You Finally Read These Messages  
GA: But Just In Case I Shall Relay Nonetheless  
GA: I Managed To Locate My Daughter Shortly After Your Departure For Outglut^2  
GA: The Plan Was To Rendezvous With Vrissy In Cavalreap Following The Funeral To Figure Out What To Do With The Frankly Absurd Asset She Has Somehow Found  
GA: Said Asset Somehow Being The Legitimate Alive Alpha Timeline Vriska Serket  
GA: Who So Far Has In Her Few Short Days Of Being On Earth C Managed To Neutralize Makara Which Is Obviously An Immense Feat  
GA: The Actual Problem In This Scenario Is That Rather Than Act As One The Offspring Of Egbert and Crocker Opted To Grand Theft Auto Their Way To Cavalreap An Hour Ahead Of Schedule  
GA: We Dont Need To Go Into The Kind Of Strategic Risks Involved In Having The Children Of The Gods Plus Earth Cs Long Lost Creator All Together In One Of The Most Heavily Occupied Regions In The Troll Kingdom  
GA: But Needless To Say There Is An Incident In Progress  
GA: Of The Kind Where Communication With The Children Has Gone Dark And Half The Town Has Been Caught Up In An Explosion  
GA: We Are Presently Preparing To Teleport In There And Extract Them Before This Reaches The Higher Ups  
GA: But I Have A Feeling Things Will Not Go So Smoothly As Was Always The Case Whenever Vriska Was Involved  
GA: Her Miraculous Re Emergence Decades Later Strikes Me Not In The Least As An Act Of Serendipity But More As An Ill Omen  
GA: If You See These Messages I Formally Request Assistance Sent To The Town Of Cavalreap Before This Spills Out Into A Major Incident  
GA: Anyway Jade Is Rather Impatiently Informing Me We Need To Leave Immediately So I Shall End Things Off Here  
GA: I Hope For All Our Sakes This Does Not End Badly  
GA: Stay Well Karkat  
\-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 11:40 --  
\-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 12:29 --  
GA: Karkat  
GA: Fuck  
GA: This Is  
\-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] went offline! --

KARKAT: ...  
KARKAT: FUCK.

Karkat reaches the bottom of the message log and tries three times in vain to scroll further, but that's the end of the road. A cryptic and frankly fucking terrifying message from Kanaya, then nothing. He looks to Lemnis, chest heavy.

KARKAT: IS THIS EVERYTHING?

Lemnis frowns and nods.

LEMNIS: unfort∞nately yes.  
LEMNIS: initially we were gonna deal with it ourselves on base but then well  
LEMNIS: commander maryam's second comm∞nication came thr∞ and that obviously raised some alarms.  
LEMNIS: i think i'm ok t∞ say five out of the eight surviving gods of earth c disappearing constit∞ts as a pretty major incident.  
KARKAT: YEAH, YEAH THIS IS...  
KARKAT: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING HERE??  
KARKAT: ***VRISKA***??????????

For some asinine reason, that's the detail Karkat's thinkpan latches onto. How the fuck is _Vriska_ here, and alive? She died out in the void years ago, and Terezi died out there looking for her. So the fact that she's apparently now here on Earth C, has met up with the gods' kids, and has also somehow managed to fucking kill Gamzee, it... it's too much, if he's being honest.

LEMNIS: i'm just the messenger sorry i can't be much more help.  
KARKAT: NO, YOU DID GOOD, THANKS.  
KARKAT: SWIFER MADE THE RIGHT CALL IN TAKING YOU ON.  
LEMNIS: wow that's kind of an honor t∞ hear y∞ say that commander vantas!  
LEMNIS: and i know there is a number of things going on but i was wondering if i c∞ld possibly see commander eggmop before i went back?  
KARKAT: THAT'S

Karkat looks at the kid's eager, smiling face and feels it like lashings of acid dribbling down his chest. The news about Swifer, or anything that's gone down, hasn't managed to leave Outglut^2 yet. Lemnis here is the first person from the outside to make any kind of contact, excluding Crocker soldiers.

KARKAT: SWIFER IS  
KARKAT: SHE  
LEMNIS: she?  
KARKAT: FUCK.  
KARKAT: KID, I'M SO FUCKING SORRY, BUT

He turns away. He _cannot_ cry in front of this troll who's barely any older than a wiggler. There's too much going on. People like Karkat aren't afforded the luxury to fall apart.

LEMNIS: she's gone?  
LEMNIS: what  
LEMNIS: how did she

Lemnis's voice cracks, and when Karkat looks back over, he sees that the kid's face has fallen. He has one shaky hand clenched into an almost-fist.

KARKAT: CROCKER HERSELF GOT HER.  
KARKAT: SHE DIED SO THAT WE COULD PROTECT THIS CITY.  
LEMNIS: a good death then?  
KARKAT: ...

He pauses. This is the last place he wants to debate the philosophy on what constitutes a 'good' death, if such a thing exists. He's of the belief that no, actually, no death is 'good', or 'worth it'. But if it gets this kid through it, then he'll say whatever.

KARKAT: SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE DIED.  
KARKAT: NO ONE SHOULD HAVE.  
KARKAT: BUT SHE WAS WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK FOR US, AND THAT SHOULD BE COMMENDED.  
LEMNIS: ...  
LEMNIS: then she died a hero?  
KARKAT: YES.  
LEMNIS: i  
LEMNIS: that's g∞d. that's g∞d then.

Lemnis takes a series of deep breaths, then refocuses his expression. His young eyes gleam with a tinge of determination.

LEMNIS: i can be sad later. i need t∞ d∞ my d∞ty.  
LEMNIS: for her and for myself.  
LEMNIS: so what is y∞r guidance on the matter at hand commander vantas and how can i help.  
KARKAT: OK, YEAH, RIGHT.

Karkat skims through Kanaya's last message one more time, feeling Lemnis's gaze on him all the while. Two explosions go off – one at the top of the dome, one somewhere on the horizon. The smoke gets swallowed by the portals, but even distracted Karkat notices the delay. The psionics are starting to get tired. If the dome itself needs to endure a beating, then they'll be looking at hours instead of days. Fuck. Fuck. It's always so much all of the time.

KARKAT: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CAVALREAP EXACTLY?  
LEMNIS: it's a former farming town out in the badlands.  
KARKAT: WHICH BADLANDS? OLD OR NEW?  
LEMNIS: the ones crockercorp terraformed a decade ago t∞ force them t∞ be reliant on corporate shipments instead of their own crops.  
KARKAT: RIGHT, YEAH. I KNOW THE PLACE.  
KARKAT: NEAR ONE OF THE ENTRANCES TO THE—

He stops himself last minute. He has no reason to distrust Lemnis at all, but there's a reason knowledge about the entrances to the Mother Grub's caverns is kept between three trolls and three trolls only.

KARKAT: NEVER MIND. IT HAD SOME STRATEGIC VALUE AT THE START.  
KARKAT: ONE OF THE FIRST GHOST RIFTS OPENED UP IN THE REGION.  
LEMNIS: i see.  
KARKAT: I HAVEN'T BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE PLACE FOR SWEEPS. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?  
LEMNIS: well a few people at hq are thinking there might be a cake mill somewhere in the region but nothing definitive.  
KARKAT: RIGHT, YEAH, I HEARD ABOUT THAT.  
KARKAT: WE CHECKED IT OUT LAST SWEEP. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANY ANOMALOUS POWER CONSUMPTION IN A HUNDRED MILE RADIUS LAST I HEARD.  
LEMNIS: yeah that still checks out.  
LEMNIS: by all accounts it's an otherwise normal occ∞pied town i think?  
LEMNIS: only thing we found was crocker m∞ved a f∞w more agents int∞ the area last winter but nothing really came of it.  
KARKAT: HM

He does another mental calculation of the position of the cavern entrance in relation to Cavalreap. They were careful as fuck, but if Crocker was already sniffing around, and now there's some kind of major incident...

KARKAT: AND YOU CAN'T GET IN CONTACT WITH *ANYONE*?  
LEMNIS: no there's a whole blackout in the area sorry.  
LEMNIS: only thing we got was a snippet of bodycam f∞tage that didn't make any sense then got wiped anyway.  
LEMNIS: the best guess st∞pidly enough is that there's something down there sucking up all the relevance out of the place?  
KARKAT: NO, THAT TRACKS.  
KARKAT: IF THESE REPORTS ABOUT VRISKA ARE CORRECT.

God he doesn't think he's ever getting over that one. If he thought _Meenah_ was an explosive arrival on the scene, then Vriska is by comparison a supernova ready to detonate at any minute.

KARKAT: WHAT ABOUT CROCKER FORCES? ANY UNUSUAL MOBILIZING IN THE AREA?  
LEMNIS: a few convoy trucks en r∞te after the explosion but we can't rely on that after the business with the cloaked ships in the consort kingdom.  
LEMNIS: y∞ heard about that one right commander?  
KARKAT: YEAH, GOT THAT REPORT JUST BEFORE THE DOME WENT UP.  
KARKAT: BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. IF SHE'S GOT UNDETECTABLE SHIPS HOVERING AROUND, THEN IT COULD BE A PROBLEM.  
KARKAT: EXCEPT...

He starts pacing back and forth. Lemnis watches him sheepishly.

KARKAT: WHY WOULD CROCKER TRY THAT? THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL SHE CAN RESTRAIN FIVE, POTENTIALLY SIX, GODS AND SHE KNOWS IT.  
KARKAT: I MEAN, I GUESS SHE COULD BE GUNNING FOR THE KIDS? BUT AGAIN, THEY SUPPOSEDLY HAVE VRISKA WITH THEM, AND EVERYONE WAS EN ROUTE ANYWAY.  
KARKAT: SOMETHING WEIRD'S HAPPENING. I DON'T LIKE IT.

Karkat gives another glance at the dome, and hates more than anything the fact that he can't leave this city. He has to trust that at least one of his friends is okay and can deal with the matter, because the alternative is too—

LEMNIS: COMMANDER VANTAS L∞K OUT!!!

Lemnis screams sharply enough that it pierces through Karkat's thoughts and hits some ancient survival part of his brain. On instinct Karkat draws his gun and drops both himself and Lemnis to the ground in one fell swoop. Half a second later a volley of bullets cleaves through the air where they had been standing and punctures the wall of the building indiscriminately.

KARKAT: WHAT THE *FUCK*?!?!?

Karkat, still crouched, swings around to look behind him. Standing there at the end of the street, decked in their crimson scifi death cop riot gear, are four Crockercorp officers.

OFFICER: FIRE!  
KARKAT: SHIT!

Another round of gunfire. Karkat rolls himself and Lemnis to the side again as the pavement is pummelled. He winces as he feels flecks of molten shrapnel bounce against the side of his face.

KARKAT: DAMN IT!

While the officers reload, Karkat takes aim and lets off a couple of shots of his own. One catches one officer right in the throat, who goes down with a gargled yelp. The others blow out the kneecaps of two more, who drop like sacks of iron bars. The rest miss.

KARKAT: HOW THE FUCK DID *THEY* GET IN HERE?  
LEMNIS: i  
LEMNIS: i don't  
KARKAT: THE ONLY TRANSPORTALIZER LEFT IS THE SOUTHSIDE ONE WHICH

He turns to face Lemnis, who shrinks away under his gaze.

LEMNIS: commander vantas y∞ know i w∞ldN'TAAAAH

Lemnis scrambles to his feet out of the way of more bullets. Karkat pulls them both into cover behind the stairs leading up to the building. He reaches into his sylladex to pull out a fresh round for his own weapon.

KARKAT: WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET INTO THIS.  
KARKAT: THERE ARE THREE POSSIBILITIES BUT WE'LL DISCUSS IT LATER.  
LEMNIS: w-what are they?  
KARKAT: I JUST SAID—

He's interrupted by the sound of lead on concrete. Lemnis is trembling like a leaf. This kid has never seen one second of battle in his life. Karkat shakes his head and hurriedly returns the gunfire. He doesn't see what it hits, but he takes the sudden cry of agony as a good sign.

The soldiers don't immediately shoot back. Karkat wastes no time. He pulls another handgun out of his sylladex and, dual wielding, springs out of cover. The two humans on the ground die in quick succession. The last one standing takes a bunch of expanding bullets to the limbs and drops to the floor in a heap with their compatriots. Karkat blows the smoke off the muzzle and caches the other gun again.

LEMNIS: oh my god?  
KARKAT: YEAH, YEAH, FIRST TIME SEEING A REBEL HERO IN ACTION, GET THE FUCK OVER IT.  
KARKAT: COME ON. WE NEED ANSWERS.  
LEMNIS: u-um!!

Karkat doesn't wait for Lemnis before he strides down the street towards the sole surviving human officer, who is trying rather pathetically to squirm back to safety. Karkat steps on the back of one of their legs with enough pressure to cause them to howl.

KARKAT: NEAREST TRANSPORTALIZER'S A GOOD TWO MILES AWAY.  
KARKAT: YOU'D NEVER MAKE IT BEFORE BLEEDING OUT.  
OFFICER: A-AHHHH  
KARKAT: NOW, YOU HAVE A CHOICE.  
OFFICER: AAAHH FUCK STOP STOP IT HURTS STOP GOD FUCK JESUS _PLEASE_  
KARKAT: YOU'RE DEAD REGARDLESS, BUT IF YOU HELP ME OUT, I CAN MAKE IT QUICK.  
KARKAT: IF NOT...

Karkat moves his foot over the gaping bullet hole on their thigh, and stomps hard enough that the bone beneath gives an unhealthy-sounding crunch.

OFFICER: AAAAAAAHHHHHH  
KARKAT: I KNOW HOW AGONIZING IT IS TO BLEED OUT FULL OF BULLETS IN ENEMY TERRITORY.  
KARKAT: I'VE SEEN ENOUGH OF MY PEOPLE GO OUT LIKE THAT OVER THE YEARS, AND IT'S NEVER PRETTY.  
KARKAT: RIGHT NOW EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY MUST BE ON FIRE. YOU'RE JUST ABOUT ON THE VERGE OF LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT YOU CAN'T BECAUSE THE PAIN'S TOO INTENSE. IN FACT, IT'S SO CONSTANT THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE LUXURY OF DISSOCIATING OUT OF IT UNTIL YOU DIE.  
KARKAT: YOU'LL JUST LIE HERE FOR HOURS, STEWING IN YOUR OWN BLOOD, FEELING THE AGONY GROW WORSE WITH EVERY DROP OF LIFE THAT BLEEDS OUT OF YOU.  
OFFICER: AAHAHAHHHHHAHHHHHH  
KARKAT: SO, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO GO OUT LIKE THAT...  
KARKAT: OR, IF YOU GIVE ME WHAT I WANT, I CAN SHOW MERCY THAT YOU DON'T FUCKING DESERVE BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

Karkat bends down, and places the point of of the gun against the human's temple. To make his point more clear, he also rips off their helmet and visor so that the metal can sink right into the blood and sweat soaked flesh.

KARKAT: GIVE ME INFORMATION, AND I PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY.  
KARKAT: YOUR CHOICE.

He retracts the gun. The human makes a shrill sob.

OFFICER: I'LL TALK I'LL TALK JUST MAKE IT STOP HURTING PROMISE ME PLEASE MAKE IT _STOP_  
KARKAT: THERE.  
KARKAT: NOT SO HARD, IS IT?

He takes his foot off their leg, as a show of good faith. From the sidelines Lemnis watches on, horrified.

KARKAT: HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS CITY?  
OFFICER: THRAAAAGHOWWWW  
OFFICER: THROUGH THE TRANSPORALITZER!!  
OFFICER: SOUTH SIDEEEEFFFFUCK  
OFFICER: WE HAD GUYS MONITORING W  
OFFICER: W WAITING FOR ANY KIND OF OPENIIINNGG SHIT  
OFFICER: JAMMED IT OPEN WHEN YOUR LITTLE MESSENGER HOPPED THROUOUGGGGHHHAHHH  
KARKAT: HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?  
OFFICER: I DON'T  
KARKAT: *ANSWER ME*!

He kicks the officer in the side. They squeal and roll like a grub caught out in the Alternian sun.

OFFICER: SSHHIHITTTT OKAY OKAY  
OFFICER: THREE SPECIAL OPS SQUADRONS  
OFFICER: SUPPOSED TO  
OFFICER: FUCK AAHHH  
OFFICER: GET THE TRANSPORTALIZERS ONLINE  
OFFICER: MY CREW WEEEEEJESUSCHRISTOWWWW  
OFFICER: MEANT TO KNOCK OUT THE DOME GENERATOR  
OFFICER: AND AAAHAHAAAAAHHHHHH  
OFFICER: N NEUTRALIZE YOU IF WE COULD  
OFFICER: IF NOT WE WERRREEESHITSHITSHITFUCKAHH  
OFFICER: SUPPOSED TO BE A DISTRAAHAHAHAHCTION  
OFFICER: FROM WHAT MADAM CROCKER IS REALLY  
OFFICER: FUCK FUCK FUCK HURTS IT HURTS SO MUCH  
OFFICER: KEEP YOU LOOKING AWAY FROM THE REAL AIM  
KARKAT: WHICH IS?  
OFFICER: HURTS I'M BLEEDING CAN'T FEEL MY LEG MAKE IT STOP GOD PLEASE  
KARKAT: DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF MOTHERFUCKER

He applies his boot to the other thigh, with a precision stomp that bends the limb at a funny angle.

KARKAT: DO YOU WANT MY MERCY OR NOT?  
OFFICER: AHH OK FUCK  
OFFICER: CROCKERCORP WANTS YOU ALL FOCUSED ON THIS CITY  
OFFICER: KEEP YOUR EYES OFF OFFFUCK  
OFFICER: STEALTH SHIPS  
OFFICER: NUSEATTLE AND CAVALREAP  
OFFICER: PLANNING SOMETHING BIG I DON'T KNOW ANY MORE THAN THAT GOD PLEASE BELIEVE ME IT HURTS SO BAD  
LEMNIS: wait did y∞ just say  
KARKAT: OH FUCK.  
KARKAT: *FUCK*!  
OFFICER: HEY WAIT PLEASE DON'T GO IT HURTS SO MUCH MAKE IT STOP I'M BEGGING

Karkat steps away from the officer and opens up a voice channel over comms, trying and failing to ignore the sinking stone in his gut

KARKAT: PAGING MEENAH AND ALFONZ  
KARKAT: THIS IS FUCKING URGENT.  
KARKAT: RESPOND IMMEDIATELY.  
MEENAH: sup  
ALFONZ: commAnder vAntas.  
KARKAT: WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE.  
MEENAH: no shit  
MEENAH: what the fuck now shouty  
KARKAT: WELL, MULTIPLE FUCKING SITUATIONS IF I'M HONEST.  
KARKAT: BUT ONE THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS YOU TWO  
KARKAT: A COUPLE OF CROCKER MILITIA CREWS GOT INTO THE CITY  
KARKAT: SPECIALISTS TRAINED TO REOPEN THE TRANSPORTALIZER LINK AND SHUT DOWN THE DOME.  
ALFONZ: thAt's A problem if i've ever heArd one commAnder.  
MEENAH: damn all this for a couple more smallfry? 38/  
MEENAH: nubs dunno if it escarped your attention but we been krillin these dudes all day  
MEENAH: wtf should we be more concerned over this bunch  
KARKAT: THESE ARE SPECIALIST OPS  
ALFONZ: big guns?  
KARKAT: PSIONIC NEUTRALIZERS  
MEENAH: still not impressed tbh  
MEENAH: the fuck these chumps gonna do to stop M-E?  
ALFONZ: Also  
ALFONZ: not to distrAct from this briefing but  
ALFONZ: commAnder  
ALFONZ: is thAt screAming i heAr on the other end of your line?  
KARKAT: ...

Karkat spins around. The human soldier is still, in fact, shrieking in agony. There's a nasty huge amount of blood spilling out into the street now, too. Lemnis looks genuinely on the verge of fainting.

KARKAT: THE REAL PROBLEM HERE IS NOT A COUPLE HUMAN SOLDIERS WHO SWINEBEASTBACKED OFF A TRANSPORTALIZER LINK.  
KARKAT: IT'S THAT CROCKER HAS DECIDED TO DEPLOY THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE DIVERSION  
ALFONZ: A distrAction?  
MEENAH: tf you mean this is some kinda ruse  
KARKAT: CROCKER'S FOCUS IS NOT ON THE CITY.  
KARKAT: SHE WANTS TO CAUSE CHAOS TO KEEP US FROM LOOKING ELSEWHERE.  
ALFONZ: looking At whAt exActly?  
KARKAT: I DON'T KNOW.  
KARKAT: INTEL SAYS SHE'S PLANNING SOMETHING IN THE HUMAN CAPITOL  
KARKAT: AND  
KARKAT: I THINK THE OTHER GODS ARE IN DANGER  
MEENAH: how you figure that one out  
KARKAT: I DON'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN  
KARKAT: I NEED TO GET TO CAVALREAP ASAP  
KARKAT: YOU TWO ARE IN CHARGE OF DEFENDING THE CITY UNTIL I'M BACK  
ALFONZ: of course commAnder. i will defend outglut^2 with my life.  
MEENAH: cavalreap? the fuck does the batterbitch want w some dump out in the sticks  
MEENAH: no wait a minute  
MEENAH: thats where theyre holding your exes corpse party aint it  
MEENAH: shouty are you  
KARKAT: FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, THIS HAS ***NOTHING*** TO DO WITH DAVE!!!  
KARKAT: CAN YOU *PLEASE* GET OFF MY NOOK ABOUT IT FOR FIVE FUCKING MINUTES!!  
KARKAT: GOD FUCK I CAN'T STAND YOU!!  
MEENAH: hold the fuck on  
MEENAH: you dont really mean that do you  
MEENAH: karkat  
KARKAT: I'M GOING.  
KARKAT: DON'T LET THE CITY FALL

He shuts the line with a forceful slam. In his mouth is the bitter realisation that he may have just set the fragile bridge between him and his matesprit, then realises, in an oddly liberating fit, that he couldn't give less of a fuck. There are more important things for him to do than pretend to slot into a lifestyle that the universe has done nothing but take from him again and again and again. Well, he's done now. For better or worse, he's done.

KARKAT: LEMNIS, GET A MESSAGE TO HQ.  
KARKAT: I'M BOUND FOR CAVALREAP. THIS IS A TOP SECRET CLANDESTINE MISSION--  
LEMNIS: commander vantas help!!!  
KARKAT: OH NO.

Karkat looks over just in time to see Lemnis stagger back as the human officer clamps a bloody hand around his ankle. Between the red-stained fingers Karkat makes out some kind of metallic device pressed against Lemnis's skin. Something about it strikes him as familiar. In fact, wait, no, hold on, that looks like Swifer's—

OFFICER: FOR PEACE ON EARTH C  
LEMNIS: wait a second what are y∞ d∞ing—

The officer slams their hand down. The single-use transportalizer activates. Lemnis vanishes in a flash of red light. His tablet drops to the ground, clattering as the screen smashes in a million cracks.

KARKAT: FUCK YOU!!!!!!

Karkat points his gun and fires three shots, point blank, into the human's head. They drop to the floor, limp and silent. In fact, the only sound Karkat can hear is his own ragged breathing and heavy heartbeat. Nothing else. Not even the—

Oh fuck. Oh _fuck_.

Karkat looks upwards, not daring to breathe. The weight in his throat plummets clean through his torso and good few inches into the ground for good measure. He sees the fading shimmer of the dome, and beyond that, a stretch of warm cloudless blue, and nothing else. No drones, no airships, no explosions, nothing.

The skies are perfectly and absolutely clear.

  
  


vi.

  
  


Vriska Serket learns more than she'd ever like to about Earth C teenage culture as she leans back on the hood of John Egbert's car in a shady alleyway behind the mall. For at least an hour John and Roxy's weird son infodumps about some stupid niche web video app that you apparently have to use to harvest as much social clout as possible (for no reason Vriska can possibly discern), and the twitchy wimpy boy named Tavros of all fucking things hedges around a discussion of what Harry Anderson refers to as, with total grave sincerity, the "discourse trenches." Vrissy spends most of the time glancing at her phone, affecting disinterest, but she keeps glancing up too much to not give the game away. Being terminally online is, somehow, the fucking lifeblood of the offspring of Earth C's gods.

Basically, what she learns is that kids on this planet fucking suck. Sure, she already knew that Earth human culture is by design way softer than Alternia, but she looks at this gaggle of youths and cannot fathom them being made of anything remotely close to the same stuff as John or Rose or Kanaya. Hell, she doubts these kids are even combat trained!

HARRY: so, right, then his profile got hit with a crockercorp copyright strike, because he didn't realize that typing quirks aren't covered under fair use parody law, so he ended up being banned for a good, uh,  
HARRY: tav, was it three or four months in the end?  
TAVROS: Five, actually,  
HARRY: shit, yeah, my bad. five months. so by the time he gets back, he's SO low down the trending list that the algorithms pretty much rejected him on sight.  
VRISKA: Mm hmm.  
HARRY: poor guy never recovered. don't let anyone know, but i kinda thought it was a shame? no one could lip sync like him.  
TAVROS: Yes, such a shame,, such is the fickle nature, of creating content in the prime of your youth,,  
VRISKA: Uh huh.  
HARRY: and to make matters way more complicated, remember the cosplay girl i brought up earlier? well, SHE then decides to—  
VRISSY: God Harry Anderson Can You Please Can It!  
VRISSY: You are m8king us all look like a8solute supreme l8meos Over Here, and I can't stand for It!!!!!!!

Vrissy tugs at the ends of her hair in frustration, then looks sympathetically over to Vriska.

VRISSY: I am So Sorry that my 8oyfriends are total losers.  
VRISSY: Look, you already Know I'm a way cooler 8ad 8itch, 8ut God 8eing around them m8kes me feel like I'm getting less cool 8y associ8tion.  
VRISKA: Oh yeah wow.  
VRISSY: Honestly, I ask myself on the daily what I See In Them and I honestly you're not listening to a single word I'm s8ying Are You.  
VRISKA: Ah ha, I see.  
VRISSY: Vriska Please I Am Trying To Redeem My Cool Points Over Here!!!!!!!!!!  
SOLLUX: lma0 she gives zer0 fucks kid.  
VRISSY: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

The sharp scream's enough to pull Vriska back to paying more than less than zero attention towards this conversation.

VRISKA: What's going on? Is something relevant finally happening?  
HARRY: er, no. vris is just digging a deeper hole for herself trying to prove she doesn't suck as much as me and tav do.  
TAVROS: Ouch,,,  
VRISKA: That it? Well, I already knew she's as l8me as you two dwee8s. She's well meaning, 8ut so a8solutely a tryhard! It's, like, almost secondhand em8arrassment inducing!  
VRISSY: Hey what the Fuck! >::::(  
VRISKA: Sorry, 8n't no Serket living or dead would put up with this gru8tier 8a8ytime 8ullshit for more than twenty seconds.  
VRISSY: This is Important Cultural Work!  
VRISKA: Ok, you get attention from str8ngers on the internet, 8ig fucking whoop.  
VRISKA: You guys are what, seven sweeps old? And what have you actually done in that time?  
VRISKA: Like, I'm talking shit that actually matters, here.  
HARRY: well, i openly defied the corporate government with my dad literally two days ago.  
VRISSY: I Literally Saw open com8at when I first met you.  
TAVROS: I, erm, withstood sixteen years, living under the ever present eye, of, of,,, of gamzee makara,,,,,  
VRISKA: So a8solutely nothing of value.  
VRISKA: God you kids are so 8oring!!!!!!!!

Vriska hops up off the car hood, planting her feet on the ground sharply enough that Tavros winces. Sollux, floating a few feet in the air, shrugs and deliberately stares away into the middle distance.

VRISKA: I seriously can't w8 to 8low this lame ass joint if THIS is what the youth of this world can aspire to.  
VRISKA: A 8unch of losers coasting along on their ancestors' glory.  
VRISKA: Don't any of you want to m8ke a n8me for yourself? Do something memora8le????????  
VRISSY: Well, Duh, O8viously! 8ut  
VRISSY: Like  
VRISSY: I'm not Dum8? I'm not just gonna Needlessly End8nger my life or anything.  
VRISSY: I just wanna 8e a cool 8itch that inspires all the heroines of the Knockoff YA Dystopian 8ooks that will Certainly Come once we win this war.  
VRISKA: 8ut you don't actually want to do anything to get there?  
VRISSY: I mean if I Have To I will, you know?  
VRISSY: 8ut There's Literally no Point in 8eing a cool hero if you die 8efore You Can t8ste the glory that comes with it.  
VRISSY: As decisions go, I don't think you can Get Any Dum8er.  
VRISKA: Ugh, I guess I can't 8e mad at you, Vrissy. At least you're trying.  
VRISKA: 8ut THESE two........

She points towards Harry and Tavros. Tavros shrinks even further into himself. Harry raises an eyebrow, like he's thinking about challenging her but isn't confident enough to commit to the bit.

VRISKA: I didn't know it was possi8le to m8ke it to this age and still 8e a total loser! Hell, even the loser 8oys from Alternia did SOMETHING with themselves 8efore dying unceremoniously and pointlessly.  
VRISKA: You know, I'll 8e glad when the weirdo adult versions of the people I knew show up just so I don't have to associ8te with either of you any more.  
VRISKA: You guys are such losers you even managed to almost m8ke a Vriska look uncool!  
TAVROS: I'm, um, sorry,,,?  
VRISKA: Don't 8other. You're clearly 8eyond salv8tion.  
VRISKA: Vrissy, at least, I could m8ke something out of once we ditch the l8me 8rig8de.  
VRISSY: Vriska, Don't you Think You're—  
VRISKA: I mean, I'm not wrong. What kind of life do you think you'll lead, stuck in some gru8 tier wimp 8oy rel8tionships? One you'll 8e satisfied with? Really?  
VRISSY: ...  
VRISKA: See? So, when the others show up, how a8out we—  
HARRY: that's enough.  
VRISKA: ?

Vriska turns around, where, to her surprise, Harry is staring her down with a determined expression. His fists are loosely clenched, but he's managing to hold her gaze somehow. She blinks, trying not to obviously tense up.

HARRY: i get you've done some amazing things on a scale we can barely comprehend, vriska, but that doesn't give you the right to talk about anyone like that.  
HARRY: just because you're a god that made our universe doesn't mean we aren't worth anything in comparison.  
HARRY: you know what, no, none of us has done anything worthwhile on a cosmic scale! and you know what else? that's perfectly okay!!  
HARRY: tav, vris and i are our own people with our own lives and just because it doesn't meet YOUR standards doesn't mean we have no value.  
HARRY: because, and i know this might apparently be a crazy wild concept, you are not the protagonist of reality!  
HARRY: so yeah! we do suck! we live totally lame and boring lives! you got me there, vriska! no one here has ever died and become a god or single handedly killed a universe eating demon!  
HARRY: and yet we still matter! there are still people who love us and care about us and that's enough proof we're doing SOMETHING worthwhile!  
HARRY: but most importantly *I* care about my friends and i don't give a shit who you are, you don't get to look down on us and decide whether or not we have value!

By the end of it, the kid's shaking and he's biting back tears. His jaw is clenched and his face is flushed. Vrissy and Tavros stare at him, totally at a loss as to how they're meant to react. After a moment's silence, Vriska takes a step forwards, tilts her head upwards, and barks out a single laugh.

VRISKA: Hah!!!!!!!!  
HARRY: ?  
VRISKA: Damn, don't let it ever get said that you don't have SOME kind of spine, kid.  
VRISKA: I mean, that speech was John levels of cringe, 8ut I didn't expect you'd have the glo8es to ACTUALLY say something like that!  
VRISKA: Must 8e the 8it of Roxy you have stuffed somewhere inside you.  
HARRY: i, uh... ok?  
VRISKA: Congratul8tions, Harry, you've officially ranked higher than 90% of most 8oys I've ever encountered in my life. ::::)  
HARRY: that's cool and all i guess, but are you gonna apologize for treating tav and i like we're dirt??  
HARRY: because that was really fucked up of you, vriska. no amount of flattery and self-aggrandizing's getting past that.  
HARRY: so are you gonna admit to doing something wrong, or do i have to keep acting like a cringe bitch?  
VRISKA: ...  
VRISSY: (holy shit, Harry, Give It a Rest!)

Vrissy moves over and tugs at Harry's shoulder with an anxious expression. She whispers to him, but she's not doing a good job of making sure Vriska doesn't hear her.

VRISSY: (do you Want to M8ke an enemy of her????????)  
HARRY: (i get you're hero worshiping her or whatever, vris, but that doesn't give her a license to do what the fuck ever!)  
VRISSY: (uh, pretty sure it Does?)  
VRISSY: (and how Exactly was she wrong?)  
HARRY: (did you literally not hear how she tore into all three of us! like right now that is what she just did!)  
VRISSY: (perhaps we should have Sh8ped Up More Then!)  
VRISSY: (we're literally doing the Coolest shit we've ever done in our lives and i'm Not gonna let You ruin it!)  
HARRY: (ruin what! vris i know the lore!)  
HARRY: (nearly everyone who was involved with vriska ended up dead or traumatized!)  
HARRY: (you're really gonna throw yourself face first into some kind of suicidal death mission just to impress your ancestor?)  
VRISSY: (you just don't get it, Harry Anderson!)  
VRISSY: (i Need to 8e a hero no matter what, 8ecause otherwise what's the Point of my life???????)  
HARRY: (i dunno, maybe being happy and surrounding yourself with people you love, all of whom are coincidentally ALIVE??)  
VRISSY: (ugh, this is why she called us L8me!!!!!!!!)  
TAVROS: Um, you two,  
TAVROS: She's, kind of, staring right at you,,,  
VRISSY:  
HARRY:

Vrissy and Harry look away from each other and turn to Vriska, blinking sheepishly. Vriska shakes her head.

VRISKA: Well, okay! You guys definitely have a metric unit of unaddressed 8aggage that totally isn't my pro8lem!  
VRISKA: I mean, you all do whatever you want. I'm just here until the people I actually know show up so I can get this show on the road.  
HARRY: as you've said. but, like, what is it you actually think you can do?  
HARRY: full offense, vriska, but you're just some kid in the middle of a war, and only one out of half a dozen god tiers.  
HARRY: i just think you're overestimating yourself if you think you can, like, waltz in and become the grand hero who singlehandedly wins the revolution or whatever.  
VRISSY: Harry! You know what she's Accomplished!  
VRISSY: She killed Lord English 8y herself! I think that qualifies her to t8ke on a few people with Guns.  
VRISKA: I don't need the vote of confidence, 8ut you're right.  
VRISKA: Jane Crocker 8n't got SHIT on Lord English! ::::)

She laughs again, hands on hips. She definitely doesn't think about what she remembers of her last moments out in the furthest ring, not in the slightest! If the lore says she's the epic hero who saved the multiverse, then that's what she is! Besides, she totally had that fight in the bag anyway. Who cares if she didn't _actually_ see the final blow?

HARRY: by take down lord english you mean vanish into the void for several decades and drop down onto earth c alongside all the other ghosts who got their asses kicked.

Harry folds his arms and raises one eyebrow. Vriska feels her hackles raise up. Jeesh, why the hell is this kid riding her bulge like this?

VRISKA: Look, I get that John pro8a8ly fed you a 8unch of f8ke shit a8out me 8ecause he didn't want anyone looking up to me who wasn't qualified.  
HARRY: actually he wasn't in my life at all but that's not the point.  
VRISKA: Ok! Still don't care!  
VRISKA: The point is I know I'm 8ad enough to t8ke anything on!  
VRISKA: I can t8ke down Crocker's fucked up corpor8te empire and get the fuck out of this universe in like a week tops!  
VRISSY: Hold on, Wait, what? The Universe????????  
TAVROS: What exactly, are you meaning by that,,  
VRISKA: It means what it means! I'm gonna 8last on out of here and get 8ack to MY reality instead of this insipid f8ke world for sad losers!  
VRISSY: Oh God, so THAT'S what you want.  
VRISSY: Hah!

It's now Vrissy's turn to laugh apparently, enough that tears well up in her eyes.

VRISSY: You're just Exploiting everything here to try and find a Way to get 8ack to your girlfriend, right?  
VRISSY: And you have the Audacity to put yourself on a pedestal a8ove us?  
VRISSY: That might just 8e the 8iggest Simp Move ever witnessed in the history of reality right there!  
VRISKA: The 8iggest........ what the fuck are you on a8out?  
VRISKA: This is more of your asinine online shit isn't it.  
TAVROS: God, please, don't let anyone have to explain, the concept of simping,,, please,,,  
HARRY: hold on, though, we're talking about what's her name, though, aren't we?  
HARRY: terepy pipes or something?  
HARRY: the troll chick my dad e-dated and cheated on my mom with until she died out in space?  
HARRY: THAT girl?  
VRISKA: Kid.  
HARRY: ?

Vriska takes two steps towards Harry. Something is going nuclear inside her. He must see it written on her face, because unlike last time, he flinches away.

VRISKA: You'd 8etter shut the FUCK up if you know what's good for you.  
HARRY: uh?  
VRISKA: 8ecause if I have to hear ONE MORE fucker say she's dead, I SWEAR to you.  
VRISKA: I.  
VRISKA: Will.

*BANG!*

The bullet whizzes by Vriska's cheek fast and close enough to scrape off the top layer of skin before striking true into the car's windscreen. Shards of glass explode outwards, pelting the four of them with violent indifference. Harry shields his face with his hands. Tavros hunches into himself. Vrissy dives to the floor with a yelp. Sollux remains floating in the air, untouched. Vriska lets the glass scrape against her, feels the sting as blood wells up from the cuts on her face.

SOLLUX: hey what the FUCK was  
HARRY: shit! down there!  
VRISKA: ?

Vriska spins around behind her. Up on the rooftop of one of the stores at the end of the street is some human decked in crimson battle gear and a sniper rifle. As she looks, the figure adjusts the weapon and takes aim again. The second shot luckily misses by a few inches, instead puncturing the car's front tyre. This—

This motherfucker is trying to kill her. Some jumped up mindless human drone thinks they have the fucking RIGHT to try and take her out. That anyone out there would think for one fucking second that after everything Vriska's been through today, that there is any living chance in _hell_ she's gonna die before she gets what she wants?

The human cocks their gun again, a cold and clanking reverberation of the grim truth that drips down over Vriska's body like calcified sludge.

The universe hates her this much. It's never gonna stop hating her.

So Vriska Serket does what Vriska Serket does best. She goes fucking apeshit.

What happens next is a series of events so rapid-fire and convoluted that it forces the narrative to tailspin out of its third-person limited focaliser.

Vriska flings herself into the air like a howling shotput aimed right for the human sniper. She crosses the hundred or so feet distance in a matter of seconds, priming her knuckles with her dice. The sniper barely manages to look up from their scope before they receive a hundred mile an hour spiked fist right to the throat. They go flying across the department store rooftop, slamming into a ventilation unit with an echoing crunch of bone.

The sniper rifle remains fixed to the ledge. Vriska, screaming out a roar of righteous fury, lifts the weapon over her head and slams it down on her knee, snapping the cutting edge piece of military tech clean in two. She tosses the remnants into the alleyway below.

Vrissy watches from her crouched position, and considers that she may finally understand why so many trolls became so infatuated with the divine. Harry swears to himself, twitching his hands scarred by a million little cuts. The sight of his own blood makes him feel nauseous. Tavros, surprising even himself, enters a state of almost zen calm. Living life under a state of threat is pretty much his territory, sad as it sounds.

Vriska, on the roof, storms across to the writhing sniper. They're babbling something incoherently into their earpiece, nonsense that actually correlates to encrypted transportalizer coordinates. Unbeknownst to them, being flung across a rooftop at mach speeds destroyed the communication link. Vriska looks down at the human, and some rational part of her considers that she has the prime opportunity to extract information. At the same time, she couldn't give less of a fuck. She is so damn fucking tired of reality shitting on her time and time again.

So she plants her foot on the human's sternum and plunges the sharp ends of the dice into their jugular vein. They cough out a gurgle of blood, then fall dead. Vriska blinks to herself. She's forgotten how easily killing and violence come to her. For a dizzying instant, she feels six sweeps again, wrestling olivebloods twice her size on Alternian shores with the screams of an engorged monster setting her brain on fire. Everything suddenly feels much more real.

Sollux hears the commotion and pays it about as much heed as everything else since Aradia ditched him. But even he can sense shit's getting real. He has the perfect chance to float up out of here and leave it all behind before he ends up getting involved. He never gave a shit anyway.

But then he gets slammed with a portent of imminent doom he hasn't felt since childhood. The voices of the three kids below suddenly spring up in a dizzying encore of the chorus of the soon to be deceased, so loud that it feels like his half-dead brain is dribbling out of his aural cavities. It's almost, but not quite, enough to drown out the steeply rising whistle of a missile dropping down from the sky, straight and true towards Sollux's current position.

His fingers crackle with psionic electricity. He already hates himself for it, but he still makes his choice.

SOLLUX: GET THE FUCK D0WN!!

He divebombs back down to earth, at sub-light speeds Crocker only wishes she could attain. The kids look up at him, dumbfounded, but offer no resistance when he tackles all three of them into a huddled pile as close to the floor as physically possible. His body judders like a fork in a plug socket, the psionic charge and the doom choir almost enough to make him explode. He flings all the tension, all the energy, outwards into an oscillating red-blue bubble that eclipses an area no wider than the kids and the car.

The missile explodes against the psychic barrier. Sollux's body screams with the agony of exertion. His head abruptly falls silent.

Vriska sees the street blow up before she even manages to withdraw all the dice from the human's windpipe. She braces herself against the blast of hot air that knocks her back and pulls the last d8 free from its flesh trap. Then her stomach drops in realisation.

She flies straight into the epicentre of the blast with her heart in her throat. Those kids can't die. Not if she wants any chance of getting back home.

Inside the forcefield, Harry blinks in disbelief as he watches Sollux shudder under the strain of keeping them all alive. Yellow-tinted sweat drops off of Sollux's brow, landing on Harry's sliced up hands. It stings like a motherfucker, and it's this that finally lets it sink in for Harry that he quite literally was seconds away from a violent, horrible death.

HARRY: holy fucking shit.

Tavros, meanwhile, buries his face in his hands, a quite difficult task given that he is at the bottom of a pile of three teenagers and one troll that keeps giving them all sharp static shocks. He knows that kind of missile. Those are among Crockercorp's finest. His mother means business.

TAVROS: Oh, oh no,,  
TAVROS: Oh, this is all my fault,,

His cries go unheard.

Vriska zooms through the blasted and scorched street. Miraculously, the mall's outer wall remains unbreached. She wonders for half a second just what the fuck these buildings are made out of if they can withstand this kind of blast. Then she remembers she doesn't care one drop about irrelevant worldbuilding details like that.

She's too busy looking at the flicking seizure globe of a forcefield around the group's last known location. It's a sight she hasn't seen since that time she skimmed around LOBAF to finish that stupid Sgrub sidequest for a strife specibus she couldn't even use anyway. It's a reminder that yes, actually, Sollux can use his powers in a combat situation.

It's cool, but Vriska doesn't have time for spectacle. She starts hammering on the edge of the dome with a fist.

VRISKA: Hey! What the fuck happened here????????  
VRISKA: 8nswer me!!!!!!!!

Vriska goes in to kick the the forcefield with devastating force, but before that the barrier abruptly shorts out, revealing her four compatriots in a heaped pile. All of their hair is sticking out in wild directions.

SOLLUX: cr0cker apparently decided t0 place a hit 0n the brats.  
VRISSY: Yeah! And Sollux totally S8ved our Asses!

Vrissy scrambles out of the body pile, trying and failing to smooth her hair down. Sollux floats in the air again, trying and failing to look like he doesn't care.

SOLLUX: f0r s0me asinine reas0n y0ur imminent deaths were screaming in my pan like i haven't heard f0r a l0ng fucking time.  
SOLLUX: i did it f0r peace 0f mind.  
VRISSY: Uh huh, Sure.  
SOLLUX: stfu it's n0t MY fault y0u infants are deemed c0smically imp0rtant en0ugh that i need t0 be attuned t0 y0ur d00m.  
HARRY: anyway, thank you mr sollux. we really would've been in the shit without you.  
SOLLUX: whatever.

Sollux flips Harry and Vrissy off, but it's lacking the usual edge. Tavros is the last to stand, looking miserable. One of his glasses lenses is cracked.

TAVROS: If you, um, care to know,,  
TAVROS: That was one of mother's, finest artillery pieces,,,  
VRISKA: Uh huh. And that means...?  
TAVROS: This was, absolutely a personal strike,,  
TAVROS: Which, for obvious reasons, is actually very terrible,,  
HARRY: you can say that again.  
VRISSY: Eh! I'm not too Worried.

Vrissy stretches her arms behind her head before pulling out her phone.

VRISSY: My Moms and Everyone are on Their W8y soon, so they'll deal with this mess! ::::)  
TAVROS: Are you, sure on this matter,  
VRISSY: O8viously! Shit like this is what The Re8ellion was Made For!  
VRISSY: In fact, I'll let them know Right Now that Events are happening.

She unlocks her phone and tabs over to her messenger app, but soon pauses. A scowl grows on her face.

VRISSY: That's Weird.  
HARRY: what?  
VRISSY: The signal's gone.  
VRISSY: Can't even 8ypass to the Covert Re8el network.  
VRISSY: Something 8ig's interfering.  
HARRY: well shit.

Harry's face falls. His eyes go wide, but it might be more accurate to say they haven't stopped being wide since that first gunshot. Speaking of which...

HARRY: what happened with the sniper?  
VRISKA: Oh, I killed them.  
HARRY: you...

He blanches.

VRISKA: God, what the fuck ELSE was I meant to do?  
VRISKA: I know how kill or 8e killed situations work, kid!  
HARRY: but they were just...  
HARRY: i just saw them  
HARRY: and they  
HARRY: ugh

Harry bends over and pukes in the street. Vrissy edges away from him, repulsed, but her face is hard too. Every single one of these kids is going to walk away from today with a new crop of traumas.

VRISKA: You get used to it.  
VRISKA: Anyway, since we're o8viously in the maws of some trap, we need an exit strategy.  
VRISKA: Which of you kids knows how to get to where Kanaya and the others are?  
TAVROS: Um, me,, and harry, too,,,

Tavros points to himself, and to Harry, who is trying his hardest to fend off a panic attack. He is eerily calm. Vriska privately mentally assigns the boy a few kudos points. Tavros privately mentally reassesses whether or not he misread his mother's intentions to keep him alive.

VRISKA: Next question.  
VRISKA: Can anyone oper8te this vehicle?  
VRISSY:  
TAVROS:  
VRISKA: What, seriously?  
TAVROS: Harry anderson can,, at least,

Vriska turns towards Harry, who has finally managed to stand upright again. His face is clammy as fuck.

VRISKA: Are you in a st8te to drive?  
HARRY: um, yeah probably?  
HARRY: i think it passed. i'm good now.  
VRISKA: Cool. You're getting us to the church.  
HARRY: wait. you mean...  
VRISKA: We're gonna fight our way out of here, o8viously.  
VRISKA: If you don't, you die. It's simple as that.  
HARRY: ...  
TAVROS: ,,,  
VRISSY: Hey! That's what you guys Signed Up for when you joined the re8ellion, you know!  
SOLLUX: at least this 0ne has the spirit.  
VRISSY: Thank you for your Glowing Endorsement! ::::)  
SOLLUX: ugh  
VRISKA: We're getting off track here!

Vriska claps her hands together, sharply enough that everyone snaps to attention.

VRISKA: There could 8e more enemies on us any minute now.  
VRISKA: What kind of strife speci8i are you guys packing?  
VRISSY: Well, I  
HARRY: that's kind of  
TAVROS: You see, considering that matter,  
VRISKA: What the hell! Are you kids TRYING to die 8efore adulthood!  
HARRY: but you aren't allowed a specibus license until you turn eighteen anyw  
VRISKA: L8me response. Shut the fuck up.  
VRISKA: Here. I'm assigning you some right now.  
VRISKA: Lucky for you, what you get will 8e a perfect fit. :::;)

Vriska pulls out three of her dice, and tosses each one at the feet of each kid. Three eights shine up from the battered asphalt as the fluorite octet's FRESH TO THE FRAY perk triggers.

VRISKA: Once they're assigned, get into the car and—

Vriska doesn't get to finish. One second she's standing there, comfortable in the role of ragtag battle commander. The next, she's being slammed right through the wall by something very strong and impossibly fast.

She's already smashed through three layers of concrete before she realises what's happened. She tries to writhe out of the grip of whatever's got her, but it's no use. There's too much dust, and she's caught too off-guard to do anything about it.

One thing she does learn, though, is that this mall is fortified by a good twenty or so layers of solid concrete. She feels each layer shatter against her skull, bringing her closer and closer to a dangerous state of concussion. Then, just as suddenly, they're both through into the mall proper again. Vriska is thrown across the polished floor, spinning almost as fast as her poor muddled brain is. She slams against some kind of ornate statue that brings her to a painful stop as shoppers all around her scramble for their lives.

Her eyes are blurry and the whole planet feels like it's tilting at a dangerous angle. Less than three seconds have passed since she crashed through into the mall, but when she looks up at the sizeable hole in the wall, there's no sign of her assailant. Just the stampede of bodies and the shrill wail of alarms. Crocker operatives in red and mall cops with handguns storm through the crowd, making their way directly for her.

Vriska realises, rather acutely, that they are definitely in the deep shit now.

Outside, the kids and Sollux are looking blankly at the spot where Vriska stood less than a second ago. Not enough time has passed for anyone to process what has just happened. Vrissy, however, is abruptly overcome with an unexplainable sensation. Her body moves of its own accord, pulling Harry three feet to the left just before a large figure breaks through the wall at a new spot at several times the speed of sound again. The shockwave brings them to their knees, but they're otherwise unharmed. When Vrissy looks up, the figure has disappeared. There's another hole in the wall fifty feet away.

The new hole, luckily, explodes outwards at the exact same moment the first humans fire their weapons at a still-disoriented Vriska. The chunks of stone and concrete do a remarkably effective job at shielding her from being perforated with holes. She knows this is the mystery attacker again, and also knows this is a way deadlier threat than all of those human chumps combined. She plants her feet in the ground and braces for the imminent impact.

It's about as effective as a sheet of paper against a tsunami. Vriska is launched across to the far side of the mall before she can do anything, crashing through the window into a second-floor jewellery store with enough force to kill anyone who isn't a ceruleanblood in the god tiers. Every part of her body is aflame with pain, but she still forces herself to roll to the side just as a polished blade carves through the linoleum where her head had just been.

Vriska staggers to her feet as a metallic hand bends down and effortlessly yanks the blade free from the industrial flooring. But she doesn't care about that. She instead studies her attacker's face, into those cold red eyes, and—

VRISKA: Oh you have got to 8e FUCKING kidding m—

The second hand clamps against her throat and slams her against the wall. Glittering gemstones fly from their shelves and pelt the ground in the world's most expensive hailstorm. Vriska involuntarily wheezes as the chokehold grows tighter, but it's not a gasp for breath. It's a laugh of triumph.

Dumb fucker was so busy trying to pin her like a bug that her hands went ignored. Hands loaded with eight dice beaming with energy.

Vriska grins viciously, and opens her hand.

The dice clatter to the floor, unnoticed among the other gems.

ANCESTRAL AWAKENING

Vrissy realises the explosion's going to happen half a second before it does. The dice, glowing by their feet, abruptly vanish, replaced by three brand new strife specibi. Then a blast of light so powerful it makes the missile look like a sparkler erupts from the roof of the mall, enveloping half the town in its harsh glow. The earth trembles violently and the noise knocks out their hearing for a few moments.

Harry watches the explosion without looking away. Spots of colour sear themselves into his eyes. He will be seeing afterimages for hours to come. Tavros is beginning to gravely regret enabling his friend.

Vrissy, meanwhile, has her eyes on the prize.

VRISSY: Guys, our Weapons!

She shouts louder than she needs to. Her ears are still ringing. But she doesn't really care, not when she now has her own super cool weapon like the heroes of old.

With a giddy glee that is absolutely inappropriate to the current situation unfolding, Vrissy slots the Cardkind specibus into place. Following her lead, both Harry and Tavros bend down to collect theirs. Harry assigns Threadkind to his portfolio, while Tavros grimaces at the Sodakind specibus fortune deigned to inflict on him.

TAVROS: This is, some kind of cruel jest, surely,  
VRISSY: You can't seriously 8e Saying That!  
VRISSY: These are versatile and cool as Fuck Strife weapons!  
HARRY: yeah, if you have access to an alchemiter, which we patently DON'T right now.  
VRISSY: Hah! If you're a Real One you don't Need any of that!  
VRISSY: Watch and See. ::::)

An armoured vehicle has pulled up at the end of the road. A small group of humans decked in red emerge from inside, armed to the teeth. Vrissy takes a few confident steps forward, face plastered with a manic grin. On the inside she is scared shitless, but no one can ever know that.

She draws two cards from her strife deck. Seems her starting variant is tarot. The Fool and Wheel Of Fortune sit in the palms of her hands, glowing with a latent energy.

The ground beneath the humans abruptly rises fifty feet into the air, transforming into a makeshift sheer cliff. This is followed by a huge ring of blades that flings itself at the cliff, carving clean through it. The cliff collapses and the Crocker forces are powerless to stop themselves from plummeting to the ground. Half of them die on impact. The others barely make it back on their feet before the wheel comes around again, rolling them flat. Once every enemy is dealt with, both the wheel and the cliff dematerialise into thin air.

VRISSY: Holy.  
VRISSY: Fucking  
VRISSY: Shit!!!!!!!!

Vrissy's body is electric with adrenaline. She feels like she could springboard off the walls of the buildings and launch herself out of the universe. Then, just as abruptly, a sharp spike of agony runs through her head. She wobbles backwards, dazed.

HARRY: vris!

Harry rushes over to catch her before she hits the floor. Vrissy looks up at him with bewilderment.

VRISSY: Shit... ow...  
HARRY: looks like that took the wind outta you, haha.  
SOLLUX: well fucking 0bivi0usly.

Sollux descends to the ground, frowning at Vrissy.

SOLLUX: that kind 0f specibus is reserved f0r th0se at the t0p 0f the echeladder there's n0 way s0me0ne at her level sh0uld be fucking with that.  
SOLLUX: g0d what the fuck was serket THINKING giving y0u kiddies a bunch 0f fucking nukes.  
SOLLUX: brat's damn lucky she didn't g0 and burn herself 0ut then and there.  
VRISSY: I'm... Fine...  
SOLLUX: n0 y0u fucking aren't.  
SOLLUX: d0n't try and d0 what y0u just did again unless y0u want t0 die.  
SOLLUX: this is n0t a fucking game.  
TAVROS: Um, everyone,,,  
TAVROS: We yet again, seem to have company,,

Tavros points rather uselessly at both ends of the alleyway. Two more trucks filled with Crocker forces have pulled up in a pretty damning barricade. Harry looks helplessly to Sollux. He's never felt so young and small as he does now.

HARRY: what do we do!!  
SOLLUX: FUCK i'm thinking 0kay?

One of the soldiers gets ahead of themselves and fires a premature shot in their direction. Sollux crushes the bullet with a psionic flare, then flings it back around into the advancing crowd.

VRISSY: Hey! Let me...

Vrissy tries to wrestle out of Harry's arms, but the pain running through her head spikes in a terrible crescendo. Her brain feels like it's about to creak in two. She lasts another three seconds before she flops backwards, unconscious. Harry gingerly touches her forehead. It's like brushing up against an open flame.

HARRY: vris is in a really bad way here!  
SOLLUX: i kn0w that!  
SOLLUX: m0ther FUCK why did aradia leave me here t0 get int0 this mess!

On the other end, a particularly nimble soldier makes a beeline right for a bewildered Tavros. He scuttles back like a startled animal but barely makes it six feet before his back slams against the trunk of the car.

TAVROS: Oh no, no, please no,,,

The soldier is nearly on him. Tavros closes his eyes and pushes his arms forward defensively. A comically oversized shaken-up bottle of Faygo suddenly appears in his hands. He barely has time to register what's happening before the lid pops open and a high pressure cannon stream of soda blasts the soldier down the road, crashing into the others like a sticky red human-shaped bowling ball.

TAVROS: Erm,,,,,

Tavros takes advantage of the opportunity to regroup with the others. His heart is hammering at a rate that is definitely not good. His hands are covered with soda, and that's threatening to send him to a place that is even worse. He brushes his hands over his pants and tries very very hard not to think about anything at all.

HARRY: sollux please! they're gonna be on us any second!

Harry continues looking up at Sollux helplessly. Tavros sees Vrissy collapsed in Harry's arms and feels a neat lump of dread ball in his stomach.

Sollux raises a finger popping with golden sparks.

SOLLUX: 0kay 0kay i think i have s0mething.  
SOLLUX: but y0u need t0 be ready t0 drive kid.  
HARRY: but... my hands!

Harry motions to his hands with his head, hands which are too busy supporting Vrissy's unconscious body to be lifted up right now. Hands which are also still burning in agony.

Sollux facepalms.

SOLLUX: 0h my g0d. y0u have threadkind what are y0u whining ab0ut.  
HARRY: ?  
SOLLUX: use it t0 suture y0urself G0D d0 they teach y0u brats nothing?  
HARRY: erm, i  
SOLLUX: fuck we d0n't have time f0r this!

Sollux uses his psionics to open the car's back door and lift Vrissy out of Harry's arms. He tactically lobs her into the back seat with a flick of the wrist.

SOLLUX: get y0ur specibus 0ut n0w.  
HARRY: but how do i do that?!  
SOLLUX: FUCK just think ab0ut it hard en0ugh 0r whatever! this shit's abstract as fuck it just s0rt 0f happens!  
HARRY: a-ah, okay...!

Harry concentrates really hard on thinking thoughts about extracting the weapon from inside his strife deck, ignoring the way he feels like he's on the verge of screaming. Meanwhile, Sollux opens the car's passenger seat and points to Tavros.

SOLLUX: get in right the fuck n0w if y0u want t0 live.  
TAVROS: Erm, yes, of course,,  
TAVROS: Getting in,,

Tavros scrambles into the car and slams the door shut behind him, looking out of the window with a petrified expression. Harry, meanwhile, finally manages to pull his specibus out in the split second his attention shifted elsewhere. A thin thread attached to a small sewing needle that glows a little rests in his shredded palms. Sollux inspects the specibus with a lick of static.

SOLLUX: 0k g00d. y0u can use this 0ne with0ut bl0wing y0ur brains in.  
HARRY: um???  
SOLLUX: it's g0t a mid level passive healing enchantment s0 y0u d0n't need t0 d0 much just think ab0ut fixing y0urself up.  
HARRY: ok, ok!!!  
HARRY: healing thoughts, healing thoughts, healing thoughts....

To Harry's surprise, it actually works. The needle and thread, on its own accord, starts stitching his hands up. He watches in numb shock as the lacerations vanish one by one at a rapid rate. Even more shocking is the apparent fact that each cut seems to suck up the lost blood before sealing itself back over. It's like suddenly finding yourself in a totally different reality.

The whole healing process takes maybe fifteen seconds. Once it's done the needle and thread vanish back into the strife deck. Harry experimentally flexes his hands. It's like they were never injured to begin with.

HARRY: holy shit.  
SOLLUX: yeah yeah m0therfuckin miracles 0r whatever  
SOLLUX: n0w listen t0 me.  
SOLLUX: this is g0nna s0und insane but y0u need t0 get behind the wheel and drive that vehicle right through that h0le in the wall.

Sollux motions to one of the large gaps in the building taken out by any one of the recent acts of violence.

HARRY: you what?  
SOLLUX: y0u're n0t getting 0ut any 0ther way, unless j0hn's depressi0n wag0n can suddenly take 0n arm0red trucks.  
SOLLUX: the mall will be in fucking shambles s0 that gives y0u en0ugh 0pp0rtunity t0 take c0ver until either vriska kills all these guys 0r the middle aged g0d tier cavalry sh0ws up.  
SOLLUX: if y0u d0n't y0u will die. n0 ifs n0r buts.  
SOLLUX: i'm the d00m guy i kn0w when s0mething will kill y0u s0 f0r the l0ve 0f fuck listen to me.

He plants his hands on Harry's shoulders with that last part. It sends electric shocks running down Harry's spine, but it's nothing compared to the jolt of seeing uncharacteristic severity on Sollux's face. It's enough for Harry to buy it.

HARRY: ok! ok i'll trust you.  
HARRY: but what about vris?  
SOLLUX: d0n't w0rry. i'll take the back seat and keep y0ur irritant 0f a matesprit fr0m dying.  
HARRY: all right then.  
SOLLUX: then get m0ving.

Harry doesn't need to be told twice. He sprints around to the driver-side of his dad's car, sliding behind the wheel faster than he ever has in his life. Tavros yelps in surprise when Harry slams his hands against the steering wheel and turns the ignition. The steady sputtering rumble does...something, at least, to his nerves. Gives him something constant to ground himself with.

He peers out over the dashboard at the large ground-level hole leading somehwhere into the mall. Smoke pours out of it in slow, steady wisps. If he strains to hear, he can make out a muffled howling of an alarm. It's a tight turn into a move that will no doubt wreck his dad's car, but it's not like they have much choice.

HARRY: got one chance.  
HARRY: i can do this.  
HARRY: i can do this!  
TAVROS: Well, erm, i hope you can do it sooner rather than later, harry anderson,,,  
TAVROS: They're closing in,,

Tavros is right. There's barely any space between the car and the pincer formation of Crocker militia. Hell, there's barely enough space for Harry to drive into the mall, unless he does it right now.

HARRY: SOLLUX COME ON!

Sollux is just outside the back of the car, struggling apparently to get the door open. Because oh yeah, he's a cool psychic but still blind.

SOLLUX: Y0U try t0 fiddle with an intricate handle when y0u can't—

Then, in the beat between breaths, it all goes wrong.

Sollux is mid gripe when, out of nowhere, a volley of bullets clip him through the torso. He hits the ground like a deflated balloon. The soldiers advance. Harry starts screaming.

HARRY: fuck!!! FUCK!!!!!  
TAVROS: Harry, we have to move,,,  
HARRY: but sollux! he's  
HARRY: agh!

Harry jerks his hand off the wheel. A jolt of static power flits through his bones, making his spine shudder. He blinks, and looks again. There's a faint yellow aura spreading over the car. The air suddenly and inexplicably tastes zingy.

From just outside the car, there's a muffled, strangled voice.

SOLLUX: M0VE Y0UR ASS ALREADY!

And that's all the encouragement Harry needs. He plants both hands firmly on the wheel and slams his foot on the accelerator. The car, operated by a desperate teenager and boosted by one of the most powerful psionics in the history of Paradox Space, swerves a full 90 degress to the right and plows right through an unbroken stretch of wall. They're making their own hole, here.

Neither Harry nor Tavros can stop screaming as the car shudders through layer upon layer of masonry. The chassis rattles dangerously. Small bits of debris create micro-fractures in the windows. Any second now, it's all going to collapse in on itself.

Then they're through, skidding right across the floor of an utterly wrecked mall, only stopping when the car slams head-on into a support pillar. Vrissy goes tumbling off the back seat and onto the floor below. Both Harry and Tavros are momentarily swallowed by airbags that don't cushion the impact well enough. By the time they deflate, Harry's teeth are still rattling. Tavros pulls away, has enough time to look at Harry in bewilderment, then faints.

Harry lifts his head slowly, keeping his hands firmly clenched onto the steering wheel and focusing on keeping conscious. Everything is in tatters, save for a single golden beacon right at the eye of all the carnage.

He gives a dry laugh. His throat feels raw.

HARRY: oh, we're really in the shit now.

Then, all at once, he finds himself falling into his own body, and to someplace dark and quiet.

But before we can discuss what comes next, we must once more return to that which happened before, and in tandem to the recent past.

Vriska Serket, ten minutes prior to the car crash, stands in the epicentre of an explosion of her own making. All that's left of the Crocker-branded murderbot is a single burned metallic arm strewn atop a pile of gaudy necklaces. There is a hole in the roof above Vriska's head, that cuts right through to the clouds and, beyond that, pierces through Earth C's atmosphere. This superpowered sliver of light will cleave through anything in its wake, not stopping until the distant point at which it will collide with the edge of the universe.

On the ground level, Vriska surveys the damage. The bot is in pieces, the windows are all blown in, and the poor troll behind the counter was spectacularly decapitated by...something. She can't say. It's not really her problem. Just pointless collateral damage!

The 8^8 roll transformed her into her god tier robes and supplied her with Mindfang's sword. Vriska takes a few practice swings against the air. It's been so long since she's fought like this. Sweeps, come to think of it. But she's still got it. That kind of muscle memory never leaves.

Wings spread wide, she floats out of the store through the broken window. The entire mall is in a shit sorry state, with trolls both living and dead caught up in the aftermath. Near the escalator, a figure squirms under a ceiling panel.

(ERIDAN 3): oww FUCK  
(ERIDAN 3): someone please  
(ERIDAN 3): help me!

Vriska floats past the struggling Eridan ghost without even batting an eye. There are more crucial things for her to focus on. Namely, the horde of armed humans in red storming towards her.

The combat robot was the biggest threat for sure, but that doesn't mean these guys aren't just as bad. By Vriska's estimate there are at least thirty or so moving through the wrecked mall. Any one of them could stall long enough for worse things to show up. Any one of them could have the conviction to deliver a Just death unto her.

She tightens her grip on the sword's handle at that thought. No. She's not falling here. No fucking way.

When the first human reaches her, some adult man with stupid square sunglasses, Vriska's ready. In one fluid move, she shoves the sword through the man's stomach, then punts him off the edge of the balcony. She flicks the red blood off the blade as she cartwheels out of the way of a teargas grenade, then zips across to the balcony on the other end of the building and cleanly decapitates the gas mask-clad individual. As she kicks the headless body to one side, she fails to notice as another bulky human man gets up behind her, and wraps his oversized arms around her waist.

The touch sends freezing ripples of something terrible through Vriska's body. To her credit, she lasts a good eight seconds before flying off the handle.

VRISKA: G8T Y8UR F8LTHY H8NDS TH8 F8CK 8FF 8F M8!!!!!!!!

She, luckily and impossibly, slips out of his grip, then suplexes the man with enough force that his body piles clean through at least ten layers of concrete wall.

From there, it's less a fight and more a rampage. One by one those stupid motherfuckers try and come for her, and one by one Vriska dispatches them with ease. Civilians scramble and scream in terror as she tears up what's left inside this mall, and some poor dead Nepeta gets used as an impromptu shotput that sends one soldier falling down the up escalator long after their neck gets snapped.

Somewhere along the way, Vriska loses herself to the rage and violence. After all, isn't this what she's good at? Leaving a trail of bodies in her wake until she gets what she wants, because there's no other fucking way the universe would ever be that kind to her? It doesn't come freely, because nothing ever comes freely for her, and if she's being honest Vriska would smash stab kill burn blow up tear to fucking _ribbons_ the entire population of this shit-smeared garbage heap of a planet if it meant she could finally return to _her_.

Mostly she comes to one conclusion as she shatters some woman's spine. Before she ditches this universe for good, she's going to fucking obliterate Jane Crocker. This pumped-up nooksniffing militia, the days living like a fugitive, the reason why this timeline's Terezi never came back, Gamzee fucking _Makara_.

It's all Crocker's fault. Vriska wants that opulent hag obliterated.

She returns to her senses when she's got the last human in red by the throat in front of the mall's fountain. The air is thick with smoke and fire and the cacophony of too many terrible noises. One more flex, and the problem's dealt with.

But this human has cameras in their glasses that are almost certainly transmitting back to Crocker's security base. Vriska has a little declaration to make first.

In the opaque reflection, she looks like something unhinged and wild. _Good_.

VRISKA: I'VE COME TO M8KE AN ANNOUNCEMENT  
VRISKA: JANE CROCKER IS A 8ITCH ASS *MOTHERFUCKER* WHO

Then the wall behind her explodes as a psionically-charged car screeches across the floor, slamming into a pillar with enough force that the whole building shakes. Inside the vehicle are a very-clearly beaten up Harry, Tavros, and Vrissy.

VRISKA: Now what in the _f8ck_

In the confusion, she dropped the human. This is a mistake she quickly comes to realise when she spins around and they're nowhere to be seen, and she only truly realises she's actually fucked up when she feels a sudden prick in the back of her neck.

VRISKA: What are you—

She finally spots the human again, leaning out from inside the car. Fuck, if the kids are hurt—

Vriska tries to take a step. Her vision wobbles in and out of itself. Her legs feel like lumps of jelly with the density of black holes. She falls to her knees.

VRISKA: Motherfucker tranq'd me...?  
VRISKA: No, thas not fuckin

When did she get on her back? She's looking up at the ceiling strip lights, hanging askew and flickering softly. She tries to move her neck and fuck it's not cooperating. She feels so heavy, feels the way she gets heavier and her mind slows even further with every treacherous pump of her pusher.

VRISKA: mmrgh fuck  
VRISKA: gotta  
VRISKA: ...

Her eyes close. She forces them open again. She's heavier than all known matter. She's floating somewhere weightless. She's barely in her body. Someone's saying something. She has no clue what.

VRISKA: nnnnnnn  
VRISKA: pleease  
VRISKA: h  
VRISKA: rezi

Vriska manages to lift her head one final time, before her body finally packs in. When her skull slams against the ground, she's not there to feel it.

All she wants is to be home. But she's not.

She's somewhere else. Somewhere wrong. Somewhere alien and cold. Somewhere alone.


End file.
